Last Hope
by R. Constance
Summary: Meetra couldn't have imagined she would be searching the galaxy to find those who cast her out of the Order. She also didn't imagine falling for a scoundrel, but the Force works in mysterious ways. Loosely follows the storyline of KOTOR 2 - focuses more on Atton/Exile's relationship and introduces new characters. Ties into Until the Stars Fade.
1. Chapter 1 - Encounters in the Dark

Water streamed down her face. It was warm against her skin as it washed away the grime of the escape from Peragus from three days prior. She hadn't had a chance to eradicate the smell of fuel that lingered in her hair for three days and it was starting to get to her. Meetra was grateful the room the TSF had placed her and her new companions in had a small shower she could wash off and find solitude in. Since their escape, she hadn't had much privacy, something she wasn't used to after years of wandering alone.

After stepping out of the stall, Meetra cleared the fog that had settled on the small mirror with the side of her arm. She combed her brown hair with her fingers and stared intently at her reflection. She looked tired. The past few days had been taxing on her already feeble body. From having her kolto tank overloaded with sedatives, to fighting off a battalion of crazed droids, her body and mind were exhausted. Meetra quickly pushed the hint of self pity from her mind, remembering she should be grateful.

"It could be worse," Meetra thought, "I could've been like the old woman and lost a limb."

Meetra shuddered at the thought. Having felt a good portion of the pain Kreia endured through the Force when the Sith lord on the Harbinger cut off her hand, Meetra couldn't imagine the agony the old woman must still be in. If not for the scoundrel she encountered on the mining facility, Meetra doubted she would have been able to go on due to blinding pain.

Meetra paused once again to think about the man - Atton. He was tall, even considering her height - Meetra had always been taller than most women. At 5'8", many of the other Jedi had teased her during her time as a Padawan on Dantooine, but Atton had several inches on her. She guessed he was about 6'2". He had dark hair that went every which way. When the two first met, Atton had been in a force cage for several days - she had attributed his messy hair to being locked up, but due to the fact that he hadn't fixed his hair since, Meetra concluded that was just the way he kept his hair. He had broad shoulders but was still somewhat slim. Meetra couldn't help but find him slightly attractive...

"Get a hold of yourself," she thought, shaking her head, trying to get images of the scoundrel out of her mind. "You don't have time for that. Not with those things chasing you."

Meetra brought herself back to the here and now. It was late - she had decided to take a shower while the others were sleeping so she could take as long as she wanted. With a deep sigh, she smoothed her wet hair and wiped her hands on the rough, standard-issue terry cloth towel wrapped around her body. It barely covered her curvy torso and showed the majority of her long legs. As she searched the small bathroom, Meetra had a moment of panic - she had forgotten her clothes in the room.

Hoping that everyone was still asleep as they had been when she had left to take a shower, she poked her head into the room. It was pitch black.

"Perfect," Meetra thought, a faint smile making its way across her face, relieved that she wouldn't have to deal with Kreia chastising her forgetfulness or Atton's flirtatious comments about her appearance.

Meetra moved quickly and was virtually silent - a perk of the training in guerilla warfare from her war days. She grabbed her clothing from atop the footlocker at the edge of her bed and turned around quickly, making a break for the refresher when suddenly she ran into something that hadn't been there moments before.

Her heart raced. With one hand she secured her towel, with the other, she grasped for the dagger strapped to her thigh. As she forced the dagger up, she felt a cool hand wrap around her bare arm. A second hand grabbed her neck.

Meetra could feel the intruder's breath on her forehead. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she recognized the form of a collarbone quickly rising and falling. A large white scar trailing from the collarbone down the bare chest caught her eye.

Looking further up the body, Meetra and Atton's eyes connected. The two stared at each other for a moment before easing up on their attacks, however, the proximity of their bodies didn't change. Atton looked down a bit further and smiled, still not having let go of her bare arm.

"You just can't keep your clothes on around me, can you?" Atton's smirked.

Meetra felt heat rise into her cheeks. Even with her Jedi training - albeit incomplete - she never had been good at hiding her emotions.

"Scoundrel..." Meetra muttered, pulling her arm away from Atton. The sudden jerk of her arm made her hand graze Atton's bare torso. It was solid muscle, just as Meetra had imagined. The moment her hand connected with his skin, Atton pulled her close, pinning her hand between her body and his stomach. The heat in her face intensified, as did the knot in her stomach.

"Ah. Like what you see...or in this case, feel, eh?"

Atton's arm encircled her lower back. Meetra was suddenly painfully aware of her state of undress and clutched her towel a little tighter.

"Where's your shirt?" Meetra hissed.

"Where are your clothes?" Atton countered, smirking all the while. "Not that I'm complaining or anything," the pilot added.

"The floor, thanks to you scaring me half to death," Meetra sneered as she frantically scanned the floor in the dark for her clothes. All she wanted to do was to grab the clothes and run back into the safety of the refresher.

"Well, you wouldn't be the first woman to drop her clothes because of me," Atton laughed, "but usually there's a little alcohol and pazaak involved. You know, stuff you Jedi - or ex-Jedi - wouldn't know about."

"What would you kn-" Meetra stopped short at the sound of stirring from Kreia's bed. Not wanting to be caught in a state of undress like the first time she met the old woman, Meetra scooped up her clothes and pushed Atton into the refresher in one swift move.


	2. Chapter 2 - Mirrors

The two tumbled into the refresher. Atton fell to the ground, more gracefully than Meetra would have imagined.

"Wow, I didn't expect you to be quite so forceful. We barely know each other, Ms. Surik," Atton chuckled as he pushed his body against the closest wall, his long legs outstretched, leaning over to pull a cigarra out of his back pocket.

Meetra was already standing . The light of the refresher gave her an opportunity to take in parts of Atton she hadn't noticed in the darkness of the room. His skin was taut against lean but well-defined muscle. He was shirtless and lacked his boots, but was still clad in the same brown pants he had been wearing since the moment they met. The white scar she had noticed before was longer than she had expected, stretching from his collarbone down to the middle of his chest.

"Seeing as you can't stop staring, you must really like what you see," Atton teased.

"Just shut up and turn around," she snapped her gaze upward, trying to hide the rapidly growing blush crossing her cheeks. "I want to get dressed."

"What, you don't trust me, sweets?"

"Atton - " Meetra glared into her male companion's eyes.

"Alright, alright. Don't get your panties in a knot," he said as he leaned over to get to his feet. "Well, I mean, not like you're wearing any, but we'll let that slide for now."

"Just - just turn around," Meetra said, the growing frustration in her voice evident.

Atton turned around to face the door as Meetra turned to face the mirror to keep an eye on the scoundrel as she changed - she immediately regretted this decision.

The pilot's back was muscular. Low rising pants exposed dimples near the base of his spine. She couldn't peel her eyes away from his unexpectedly good physique.

"Are you planning to get dressed, or do you just want to keep staring?" Atton snickered.

"Frack, why do you always assume I'm staring?" Meetra exclaimed, trying to recover from her embarrassment as she quickly pulled her leggings on.

"Oh come on, sweets," Atton said as he began to turn to face Meetra. "It's not like -"

"Hey!" Meetra yelped as she tried to cover her now towel-less top half.

"Sorry! Sorry, sorry," Atton apologized as he turned back to face the door, shielding his eyes with his free hand. "But don't think I haven't caught you staring out of the corner of your eye, sweets."

"Me? Staring at you?!" Meetra tried to sound shocked but in all honesty, she knew she had been caught. She couldn't help but feel slightly attracted to him. Maybe it was because he was the first man she had seen in a while, but she couldn't help but feel it was something more. Something about him seemed vaguely familiar...

"No need to be embarrassed," Atton said as he turned just in time to see her cover herself with her tunic. "I've already seen what you look like underneath those clothes. Twice now actually," he smiled, "it's only natural that you're curious about me."

"Oh-ho-ho," Meetra snorted, "is that what you think flyboy?" She moved toward him, her finger outstretched as she poked him on the chest, pushing him against the refresher door. "If I recall, you're the one who hasn't let the fact that I was in my underwear when we first met go. Hell, you haven't stopped staring since you first saw me. At least I'm discreet about it!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew she had made a serious error. It was written across her face. Atton didn't miss a beat.

"So you admit you're staring?" Atton smirked as he grabbed her finger, bringing his face closer to her own.

"I-I didn't say that," Meetra stammered, trying to hide her embarrassment by looking down at the refresher floor.

"Yeah you did, sweets," Atton laughed for a moment before softly grabbing her chin and pointing it up. "Didn't say I minded though, did I?"

Meetra's suddenly realized just how close she was to the pilot. Their eyes met and for a moment, the rest of the world - and the fact that they were standing in a refresher under house arrest - melted away.

Atton slowly tilted his head and started to move it down when...

"Ooof," Atton grunted as he lurched forward, knocking Meetra, who had been slightly unsteady as she had moved to her tiptoes, onto the ground.

"Was I interrupting something, fool?" an old voice broke through the darkness. Kreia had forced the door open, slamming it into Atton's back, resulting in a domino reaction.

"Schutta," Atton murmured under his breath as he stooped to pick up the cigarra he had dropped.

"You shouldn't pollute your lungs or your body by being near the imbecile's smoke, Exile," Kreia snarled. Meetra hated when people called her 'Exile'. It reminded her of every misstep she had taken in her life. Somehow, she knew Kreia knew how much it bothered her.

"I also pollute my body with drinking and my mind with vids in case you were wondering, your majesty," Atton jabbed at the old woman.

Meetra wasn't sure what to say, so she didn't say anything at all. Silently brushing past the two, she moved back to the room and sat on her unmade bed. The Telosian sun was beginning to creep above the buildings surrounding their apartment, shedding beams of light into the tiny apartment. Through the corner of her eye, Meetra saw Atton walk into the room, taking a seat on the bed next to hers. Too nervous to meet his gaze, she began clumsily fumbling with a datapad on the shelf next to her.

Atton broke the silence. "So, I ah -" A knock at the door interrupted him. Meetra rose to open the door but before she was close enough to open it, it unlocked itself and slid open, allowing Lieutenant Grenn and two armed guards to walk through the door.

The lieutenant snorted when he caught sight of Meetra's confused look and the obvious annoyance on Atton's face. "I've come to tell you that we've determined that you're not to blame for the Peragus Mining Facility's destruction."

"Well that's a relief," Atton interrupted, earning a look of disdain from Lt. Grenn.

"You're not allowed to leave yet though. We have someone who wants to talk to you," he stated, looking directly at Meetra. "You can collect your belongings from the Entertainment Module." He rattled off more instructions before ending by warning the trio to stay out of trouble.

As quickly as they had arrived, Grenn and his men left the room.

"I believe it's time we find why the Force sent us here," Kreia announced as she entered the room from the refresher. "Hurry, Exile. And I suppose you must come with us as well, fool."

As Kreia began to fix her bed, Atton walked to Meetra, who was still avoiding his gaze.

"We'll have to finish our little...discussion later," Atton whispered with a smirk as he brushed her arm. "Don't think I'm letting you off the hook that easily, sweets."

The all-too familiar warmth rose into Meetra's cheeks. In an attempt to hide the redness, she scratched her face violently, earning a chuckle out of Atton.

The two separated seconds later and began gathering their few possessions in anticipation of their exploration of Telos.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Cantina

After visiting with the Ithorians, exploring Telos for several hours and learning the unfortunate news that the Ebon Hawk had been stolen along with T3-M4 who was on board, the unlikely trio headed back to their assigned apartment. Kreia immediately found a spot on the floor, crossed her legs and began meditating. Much to the dismay of Atton, Kreia demanded complete and utter silence.

"Look, I don't care if you do your little Jedi business on the floor, but I've got to get out of here," Atton complained while running his slender fingers through his dark hair. Despite his griping, Kreia didn't budge. "You do realize she's been at this for two hours, right?" Atton whispered to Meetra in the next bed.

Meetra had grown restless herself. There was only so much reading one could do on a datapad before ones eyes burned.

"Come with me," Atton smiled as he rose from his bed, grabbing the tips of Meetra's fingers with one hand, his trusted blaster with the other. Kreia didn't seem to notice her young companions leaving.

"Where are we going?" Meetra asked as he pulled her out of the room and into the thick. The sun was setting, casting long shadows on the buildings and streets.

"You," he said as he pointed at her chest, "are going to learn to have fun. You're what, 24?"

"27."

"Hey. You look good," Atton smiled before pushing forward with his original thought. "You need to live a bit. You've probably never been to a cantina, right?" He didn't wait for an answer before starting up again. "Well tonight, we're going to change that. But first, we've got to get you into something that will get us into the cantina."

"What's wrong with this?" Meetra motioned to her tan tunic and leggings. The outfit was worn but comfortable.

Ignoring her question, Atton adjusted his hand, grasping Meetra's more firmly, and began walking down the corridor toward a clothing shop he remembered seeing near the cantina. As they walked to the module, Atton took note of a scantily clad Zeltron watching Meetra. He had a bad feeling about her, but didn't say a word. Instead, he concentrated his efforts on ushering Meetra down the hoards of people crowding the narrow street.

A short walk and a stop at the clothing store later, the two arrived at the cantina. It was crowded and full of smoke.

"Heh," Atton snorted quietly. "That smoke definitely isn't legal. The TSF has this place under control, huh?" Atton noted sarcastically.

While Atton seemed relatively unphased by the smoke, it burned Meetra's lungs, causing her cough. It was thick - so thick she could barely see the Twi'leks dancing on the stage not twenty feet away.

"Two jumas, please," Atton motioned to the bartender, who replied with a simple nod, acknowledging the scoundrel's request.

The smoke was getting to Meetra's head, making her feel dizzy. She wanted to sit. Before she could say anything, Atton seemed to know what was on her mind. "Let's find somewhere to sit. I wanted to finish our little _discussion_ from earlier," he smiled as he scanned the room. "There," he pointed to a small booth in the corner across the room.

How he could see through the smoke and past the crowds of people was beyond Meetra, but she followed Atton as he effortlessly slid through the hoards of half-dressed women and drunken men who didn't want to go home alone.

The scoundrel motioned for Meetra to go into the booth first. She slid in gracefully and Atton followed suit, wiping the grimy table with his sleeve before placing their glasses on the table. This was the first time he had had a moment to take in her new outfit. It was a black leather dress, quite different from the plain tan tunic he'd grown accustomed to seeing her in. The dress was tight - much to Meetra's chagrin - and showed off her enviable curves. Atton couldn't help but stare. As he looked at her, a strand of hair dislodged itself from her hair tie, finding its way to her collarbone where it rested.

Atton and Meetra both reached for the wayward strand, their hands brushing against the other's. Meetra quickly pulled her hand away, but Atton's lingered as he slowly moved the lock, gently tucking it behind her ear. This simple gesture caused a heat to rise up into her belly.

"So," Meetra said softly, shifting uncomfortably, unsure of where she was going with her thought.

"So," Atton repeated, seeming equally as lost.

"About earlier. I'm not really sure what to say. I'm not sure if you were just caught up in the moment or if you just need an easy lay or if you just want to piss off Kreia by trying to get in my pants or a combination of all of those," Meetra realized she was talking very quickly, but the words kept spilling out of her mouth before she could stop them. "But I'm not quite sure what -"

She stopped short. Atton was leaning dangerously close to her face. However, instead of kissing her as she suspected he was doing, he leaned close to her ear and whispered, "the redhead over there has been watching you since we got here. Be careful."

As he pulled away, he planted a surprisingly soft kiss on her cheek. The simple touch of his lips made a shiver run down her spine. Her nerves worsened when he placed his hand on her leg which was barely covered because of the dress. Being careful not to run his hand too high up her leg, Atton gently rubbed her leg. It was a bold move, but a nervous smile from Meetra told him it was ok.

"Hey there, beautiful," a woman's breathy voice broke through the noise of the cantina. Meetra and Atton looked up to see the Zeltron leaning over their table, her assets dangerously close to Meetra's face.

"Can we help you?" Atton asked, the annoyance in his voice readily apparent. The woman barely noticed Atton - her eyes didn't leave Meetra.

"She can. She can help me in _many_ ways," the Zeltron said as she licked her lips, eying Meetra as if she was looking at a prime piece of kath hound steak.

Meetra was uncomfortable, but tried to hide it. "Would you like to sit?" Meetra asked, trying her best to avoid trouble. The woman was well-armed - two daggers straddled her thigh and an obviously modified - and undoubtedly illegal - blaster rested on her hip.

"Smart girl. Forceful too. I like that in a woman," the woman cooed as she slipped in the booth, sitting unnecessarily close to Meetra. "The name's Luxa." Meetra opened her mouth to introduce herself and Atton, but was cut off by the woman. "No need to introduce yourself, gorgeous. I already know who you and your scruffy friend are."

Atton looked at Luxa with disgust. Before he could protest her description of him, Meetra squeezed his thigh, wordlessly asking him to hold his tongue. Atton graciously obliged but fumed on the inside.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Art of Seduction

"So, where do I begin?" Luxa thought aloud. At this point, Meetra was past the point of discomfort, but had a feeling this woman would play an important role in their efforts to meet with the local Exchange boss, so she played along.

Luxa turned her body to Meetra and leaned close, rubbing her barely covered breasts against Meetra's arm. The Zeltron then wrapped her arm around Meetra, closing any gap between the two women. At the same moment, Luxa slid her hand up Meetra's already short dress, edging dangerously close to an area Atton had already thought about several times.

Staying silent was becoming a struggle for Atton. He huffed as he crossed his arms in frustration. "She's known her for all but 3 minutes and is already getting further than I have," Atton murmured under his breath. His low grumble was heard by Meetra, making her lips quirk.

After gulping down a large portion of her juma, Meetra began playing with a strand of Luxa's short hair, feigning interest in the woman. If Atton weren't so irritated, he would've considered Meetra's behavior a major turn-on. For now, he could barely stand it.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" Meetra asked in a breathy voice, making Atton's eyes widen. Although he always found her attractive, he found her current tone incredibly sexy. "Why have you been following me?" Meetra wanted to get to the bottom of this and wasn't above playing dirty.

"Well gorgeous, I already know you're that Jedi everyone's been talking about. Oh don't look so surprised," Luxa chided after noticing Meetra's shocked expression. "I know _a lot_ of things," Luxa whispered into Meetra's ear, nibbling her lobe as she retreated to her too-close-for-comfort position. "I want you to get rid of my boss. In exchange, I'll give you any help you need, whether it's for you or those Ithorians you're always visiting."

Atton suddenly understood why Meetra had been enduring this. The group needed to talk to the Exchange and this was their opportunity. While he appreciated her commitment to the mission, the whole situation was becoming too much for Atton - Luxa was nearly straddling Meetra. All he could do was clench his fists in frustration.

"So all we have to do is kill your boss?" Meetra said, shifting her hips a little closer to Luxa who had since removed her hand from Meetra's upper thigh, leaving the dress higher on her leg than the ex-Jedi would have liked. The slight movement was met with a half smile from Luxa.

"Mmhmm. That's it. I have more than a few if the guards in my back pocket, so getting in won't be a problem. After he's out of the way, then we can attend to other business," Luxa said as she walked her fingers up Meetra's plunging neckline, finishing the movement by resting a finger on Meetra's lips.

Knowing the ordeal was almost over, Meetra flashed a coy smile. "Sounds great," Meetra purred as she caught the woman's eyes. With a slack jaw and a fire burning in his belly, Atton looked on in horror as Luxa closed the gap between she and Meetra, placing an open mouthed and lingering kiss on Meetra's upper lip.

To his shock and horror, Meetra kissed the woman back, but pulled away seconds later. The Zeltron stayed on Meetra's lips a moment longer before pulling away, leaving a small string of saliva connecting their lips. With a final rub against Meetra's body, Luxa dismounted and left the booth without another word, disappearing into the crowd of people and smoke.

Atton watched the crowd, still in disbelief over what he just witnessed. He then turned to Meetra who was already looking at him as if the past ten minutes had never happened. "Wha - what was - what the hell just happened?" Atton questioned as he scratched his head in confusion.

"You're not the only one who's well versed in seduction, flyboy," Meetra whispered into Atton's ear with a smile, her fingers gently tugging on his shirt as she pulled away, lightly running her lips against his chiseled jawline.

Atton wasn't quite sure what to say, but he knew what he was feeling.

"Thank the Force for this table and it being so dark in here," he thought.

oo-oo

After a several more drinks and being high in spirit, the duo walked out of the cantina, arm in arm, stumbling as they went.

Meetra was giggling as Atton told a story of how he won a pazaak tournament many years ago. The story wasn't all that funny, but the two laughed as only those in the beginning stages of love do.

"You know, Meetra, you're not what I expected when I first saw you running around in your underwear," Atton slurred.

"What do you mean?" Meetra asked through giggles.

"Well for one, you're a hell of a lot more fun than I would've expected. The pretty ones are never fun. And you're so easy to talk to. I feel like I can actually talk to you, you know?" Even in his drunken state, Atton knew that there were some things he wouldn't tell her. "And, don't laugh," he said as he pointed his wobbling finger at her, "but you've got this glow," he gestured with his hands, "but I can only see it out of the corner of my eye."

Meetra furrowed her brow. "That sounds like the Force," she thought. For the time being, she wouldn't say anything - she wasn't in the proper state of mind. Wanting to keep an eye on the pilot as he spoke, Meetra decided to start walking backwards. After about 50 meters, Meetra ran into a building, causing she and Atton to erupt with laughter.

With her back against the building, Atton closed the gap, leaning against the building with one hand and gently stroking her jawline with the other.

He wasn't quite sure what to say, but he knew he had to say something. This was unfamiliar territory for Atton. He always knew what to say when it came to women, however, whenever he was around Meetra, he found himself tongue-tied and with a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"So, ah. You and that red-head looked pretty cozy earlier." As soon as the statement left his lips, he regretted it.

"What are you trying to say, Atton?" Meetra asked in an annoyed tone, her voice rising slightly. Definitely not the breathy tone she'd been using earlier.

"I-I. Um. Frack, I don't know. I just know I wanted to wrap my hands around her neck."

Meetra was surprised by his answer, but kept asking questions. "What do you mean?"

Atton pushed away from the wall and began pacing, his fingers brushing through his hair.

"I just," he wasn't sure what to say. What he really wanted to do was pull her against his body and kiss her. To tell her she was the most beautiful person he'd ever laid eyes on. To tell her that even though they hadn't known each other long that he was already falling for her. Instead, he settled for, "I just was surprised that you were able to handle all that. It was rude...even for a scoundrel..."

"Oh," Meetra said softly, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. She thought - and hoped - Atton was going to act on the flirts and innuendos the two had been exchanging all night. "We should get back," Meetra recovered. "Don't want the old hag to ask us where we were all night."

Surprise and amusement danced in Atton's eyes at the comment. "Old hag? I see I'm rubbing off on you," he smiled, as he tried to dodge her playful punch narrowing in on his arm.

The two then walked back to the apartment, silently grabbing each other's hand, grateful for the silence and to be in the presence of the other.


	5. Chapter 5 - Questions

"The fool. What happened?" Kreia inquired of Meetra the moment she woke. Still struggling to open her eyes, Meetra looked to Atton's bed. The scoundrel was still sleeping, his head buried under a pillow, one leg running along the floor. There wasn't a doubt in Meetra's mind that he would be nursing a nasty hangover when he woke.

"Nothing," Meetra lied. "We just had drinks, that's all."

"You so easily forget the bonds we share, Exile," Kreia chastised. "You believe I cannot feel your emotions, hear your thoughts? I was awoken by intense emotions last night. Your emotions. I would've thought you were better than the fool. Above such...base lusts," she said as she turned her hooded eyes in Atton's direction.

Meetra couldn't help but blush, mentally noting that she would have to shield her thoughts - especially those concerning a certain young pilot from now on. It had only been a few days since her bond with Kreia had formed - she still wasn't quite used to it.

"His thoughts are slippery," Kreia continued. "You would be wise not to trust him, although I fear you already do." Kreia was right - she already trusted Atton. Much more than she did the old woman standing before her.

"I got us a meeting with the Exchange," Meetra stated, hoping to change the subject.

"Indeed," Kreia chided. "I already knew that as well. You would be wise to lose those tactics from your arsenal," Kreia sneered.

Meetra felt she should be ashamed to have let her new Master down, but the feelings wouldn't come. Instead, she merely apologized and prepared for her meeting with the Exchange.

oo-oo

A month and a half passed. The trio had met with the Exchange - a meeting that didn't end well for Luxa - assisted the Ithorians in regaining control of Telos' surface so they could heal the planet naturally and escaped Lt. Grenn and the TSF. As if that wasn't enough, they also found their stolen ship on the polar ice caps on Telos, met with Atris and had gained a new member of their crew - a Zabrak named Bao-Dur.

Bao had a calming effect on Meetra. His kind voice and heart was in sharp contrast to his rough exterior. Meetra had known him during the war, if only as an acquaintance, but he felt like an old friend.

"General?" Bao's voice broke through the silence, causing Meetra to look up from the workbench. "If I may ask, why did you join the war?"

Meetra thought long and hard. In all honesty, she hadn't thought about why she'd joined in years. She'd grown accustomed to people coming up with their own conclusions as to why she had acted the way she had years ago. Being asked was refreshing. "I joined because the galaxy needed help. The Council's inaction helped no one. As much as people question my motives, that was really all I wanted to do. I just wanted to help."

Bao smiled a bit, then went back to his work. Thinking the conversation was over - afterall, the Zabrak was a man of few words - Meetra returned to her work, only to hear Bao's voice break through the silence. "General?"

"Yes," Meetra answered without looking up from the bench.

"What are your thoughts on our pilot?" The question caught Meetra off guard. Noticing her surprise, Bao-Dur followed up his question. "I'm just wondering as a friend. If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to. You are my superior officer, after all."

"Why?" Meetra asked suspiciously, furrowing her brow.

"Like I said, just wondering." Unbeknownst to Meetra, Atton had asked Bao hours before if he thought the two of them had a chance. Since the end of the war, Bao hoped the general would end up happy after all the pain and heartache she endured, so seeing a glimmer of happiness in her future intrigued him, even if it was with the cocky pilot. "We've set a course for Dantooine," Bao stated, changing the subject. "Maybe there we can find the pieces to construct your lightsaber."

"Maybe," she said with a smile, before walking toward the cockpit.

Atton was talking to himself. "Flip the 10 card, plus 5 gives you 15."

Meetra stood in the entrance of the cockpit listening to Atton for a few minutes. "Enjoying yourself?" she asked, arms crossed in amusement.

The pilot turned around to look at her, but ignored her question, continuing to count cards as Meetra moved to sit in the copilot's chair. Since leaving the hidden academy, he had been on edge. Meetra had been as well. Meeting with Atris had brought up painful memories.

Atris had been Meetra's closest friend, but now, Atris could barely stand the sight of her fellow Jedi. The Jedi Historian had been short and icy with Meetra, reluctantly accepting the Exile's offer to help find the missing Jedi Masters.

"You ok, flyboy?" Meetra asked playfully.

"Me? Sure, I'm fine." Atton said with a feeble - yet unconvincing - smile. Sensing the lie, Meetra decided to take a more direct approach.

"Did Kreia do something to you on Telos?"

Atton quickly made eye contact before assuring her nothing had happened. The best way to tell a lie was to maintain eye contact. You had to be a convincing liar to have survived as long as he had.

"We're almost to Dantooine," Atton said, shifting his gaze to the controls in front of him as he turned his chair. "I don't know too much about this place, I've only been here once and that was a lifetime ago, so you're going to have to be the guide. Don't worry though, I'll protect you from any beasts that may be lurking in the untamed hills," Atton said sarcastically, exaggeratingly puffing out his chest with a wide grin.

Meetra couldn't help but smile at his goofiness. It was a breath of fresh air. The two held eye contact for a moment before the controls began chirping.

"Looks like we're ready for a landing," Atton said as he cleared his throat, trying to recover from the moment he and Meetra had shared moments before. "I'll take us down nice and easy."


	6. Chapter 6 - Alone At Last

Kreia decided to stay on the ship to meditate, though Atton assumed she just didn't want to wander the hills aimlessly, searching for Vrook. Bao-Dur was busy with repairs, leaving T3, Atton and Meetra to explore the Dantooine countryside. As night fell in the hills, Meetra and Atton both agreed that it would be wise to set up camp for the night. They settled on a grassy knoll about 20 meters from a river.

Meetra flipped a switch in T3, putting him in sleep mode for the night, leaving she and Atton virtually alone, save for the occasional hoot or holler from salvagers in the distance.

As she lay in the grass gazing into the night sky, Meetra loosened her normally braided hair, allowing it to sway in the cool breeze. When Atton saw how beautiful she looked in the orange glow of the campfire he built moments before, he gulped out of nervousness - he couldn't look away. As if she felt him staring, Meetra looked at Atton, smiled, then patted the grassy area next to her, wordlessly inviting him to lay next to her. Atton quickly took her up on her offer, taking off his worn ribbed jacket and spreading it so they both had a softer place to lay their heads.

After several minutes of silence, Meetra broke the quiet. "You do realize that this is the first time we've been alone since that one night on Telos, right?"

Atton hadn't thought about it, but she was right. "Someone's been counting the days until they could be alone with this old scoundrel again I see," he teased, earning himself a light punch on the arm.

"Shut up," Meetra laughed. "A lot has happened since then, huh?" she said quietly in a more serious tone, shifting her eyes back to concentrate on the stars. "Never thought I'd be looking for the people who cast me out of the Order."

"Life has a funny way of working out," Atton said quietly as he too looked into the sky. Suddenly, a flash of light streaked across the the darkness. "A shooting star!" he exclaimed with a childlike excitement that made Meetra laugh. "Quick! Close your eyes and make a wish. Alderaanian tradition."

Atton closed his eyes as he laid flat on the grass. Seconds later, he heard the woman next to him stir, then felt a warmth on his lips.

After a moment of surprise, Atton kissed back. Slowly opening his mystery partner's mouth, allowing her tongue to slide in his mouth and vise versa. As his partner pulled away for a moment, he opened his eyes to see Meetra on top of him, her legs on either side of his torso, a smile beaming across her face.

In the light of the campfire, Meetra's brown hair glowed, creating the illusion of a halo. He noticed a small chip on her tooth and smiled - her imperfections made her that much more beautiful.

Propping himself up on his elbow, Atton pulled her face toward his, kissing her more passionately than he had before. Using the small amount of leverage he had, Atton flipped Meetra over and onto her back as he cradled her head in his hands, making sure not to break their connection.

After exploring each other's mouths with their tongues and clothed bodies with their hands, the two pulled away, smiling and laughing quietly. Atton felt like he was 17 again. In that moment, as she laid beneath him, he felt something he hadn't felt in many years well up inside him. He had only felt it once before. It was a slightly similar scene - the woman had been beneath him as well, but the situation was intense and didn't end well for the woman with grey eyes. This feeling was slightly different. It was love. Atton wanted to tell her - he could barely hold it in.

"Meetra Surik, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever met," he said as he lazily traced the curve of her neck with his fingers. "This may sound crazy because I haven't known you for all that long and I'm, well, me, but uh..."

"Yes?" Meetra questioned, her fingers still weaved into his dark hair as her heart filled with hope.

"Meetra, I -"

*Beep-beep-beep-beep*

The com-link buzzed loudly and blinked flashing red lights, alerting the two that the message was urgent.

Atton exhaled deeply in aggravation, wondering why he was always being interrupted.

"I should. Ah. I should get that," Meetra whispered, annoyance showing on her face as well. As she wiggled out from beneath him, Atton rolled off her and onto his back, wiping his face, annoyed with himself for taking too long to tell her how he felt.

"It's from Bao. He said there's an intruder on the ship. He and Kreia are locked in the storage room," Meetra said in a worried tone. "We have to go back."

Meetra immediately began packing the few items they had brought along for their journey. With a simple flip of a switch on T3's circuit board, the droid Atton despised came back to life. Atton put out the fire with a small cup of water he'd been sipping earlier. When he turned to place the cup in his sack, he was met by two hands tightly grasping his face and pulling it toward their own for a surprisingly forceful kiss.

"Hey, we'll have to finish our _discussion_ later. Don't think you're getting off that easily," Meetra said with a smile as she held his face inches from her own, mimicking the exact words he had said to her several weeks prior on Telos after their run-in in the refresher.

Atton let out a little chuckle before kissing her forehead as she walked away toward the Ebon Hawk.

"Hey, by the way, what did you wish for?" Meetra asked over her shoulder.

"For that old witch to go away," he said with a smile. It got a laugh out of Meetra, but he was lying. His wish came true instantaneously when the beautiful woman laying next to him kissed him. With a deep breath and a smile on his face, Atton began following Meetra, T3 beeping wildly in the night.


	7. Chapter 7 - Wounds

It had been a long trek. By the time they arrived to the Ebon Hawk's landing pad, daylight was creeping over Dantooine's hills. The ramp of the Ebon Hawk had been lowered, as if whomever had boarded the ship was inviting Meetra back.

Meetra pulled out the Tradoshian sword she had found on a dead salvager the previous day before looking at Atton. "Stay out here. Whatever this is, it feels -"

"Dark," he interrupted softly. "Yeah, I know." Meetra looked at Atton with a slight look of confusion. This was the second time he'd made an offhand reference about being able to sense the Force. "What?" he shrugged. "It's not like you have to be a Jedi to feel that."

Normally, Meetra would have pressed the issue, but right now, she had bigger questions on her mind - namely figuring out who was on their ship - so she merely nodded, signaling the end of the conversation.

As she took her first step onto the ramp to board the ship, Atton pulled her arm, turning her to face him. "Hey. Be careful," he said quietly, his eyes drenched with concern.

"Rand, are you getting attached to me?" she questioned playfully.

"Nah, nah. Not that. I just don't want to have to take care of this bucket of bolts for very long," Atton said, tapping the top of T3's unit. The tips of his ears had turned a bright shade of red, a detail that wasn't lost on Meetra. With a nod of appreciation, she bounded up the ramp, silently following the energy she felt on board.

The energy led her to the dormitory where she found a woman clad in burgundy and black, adorned in a veil with small gold markings sitting on the floor. In one swift move, the woman jumped up, ignited her blood red lightsaber and lunged at Meetra. If she hadn't have had her sword handy, Meetra knew she would've been a goner - this veiled intruder would be a formidable opponent.

The two dueled for several minutes. Meetra began to sweat - it had been years since she last fought someone with Force capabilities, much less one with such skills.

As the battle raged on, Meetra saw an opportunity - she waited until the woman lunged at her then parried her lightsaber while pushing her with the Force. The maneuver seemed to do the trick as the lightsaber fluttered out of her opponent's hands, landing on the floor with a thud as it cracked into three jagged pieces.

After a moment of pure shock, the woman stumbled to her feet in a state of delirium. "You - you have bested me in battle. Kill me now. Strike me down," the woman said as she knelt down and lowered her head before Meetra, waiting for her inevitable end.

"Get up," Meetra shook her head. "I won't hurt you." Extending her hand, Meetra offered to help the woman to her feet - before she could help, her opponent collapsed.

Having ignored Meetra's request for him to stay off the ship until she called for him, Atton had released Bao-Dur and Kreia from the storage room while Meetra fought in the dormitory. The moment the battle ended, Bao and Atton pushed their way into the room.

"Are you ok?" Atton asked frantically, grabbing Meetra by the shoulders, as he inspected her to make sure she was alright. Although she waved him off, assuring him she was fine, he refused to leave her side - he had already noticed blood dripping from a small cut on her cheekbone and a wound on her lower abdomen bleeding through her tunic.

As Atton focused on Meetra, Bao quietly attended to the woman slumped on the ground. The Zabrak picked her up and placed her on his shoulder before passing Atton and Meetra who were now seated on the closest bed.

"Thank you, Bao," Meetra said with a faint smile. It was all she could muster at this point. The tech smiled and nodded, silently accepting her thanks as he headed to the medbay.

Since the medbay's only resting place was now occupied by the intruder, Atton told Meetra to lay down on the bed where they were seated while he gathered medical supplies. Minutes later, the pilot returned with bandages and several glass vials in hand.

After placing the supplies on the corner of the bed, Atton sat down and unbuckled his pants. With wide eyes and a racing heart, Meetra looked on, wondering what the pilot was doing.

Atton caught her gaze and began to laugh as he pulled his deceptively long shirt out from the tuck of his pants. He then took a small knife from what seemed like thin air and cut off a good chunk of the shirt, dipping it in a bowl of water near the bed where Meetra laid.

"Got a little excited there when you saw me unbuckling my pants, eh sweets?" he smirked. "Don't worry, we've still got plenty of time for that," Atton whispered as he wiped the blood off Meetra's face with the makeshift cloth. "We're all out of cloths," he answered the question looming in her head before she could ask. "Either you beat her pretty badly or someone got to her before you did. Bao's got quite a few scrapes to cover up on that Miraluka."

"The what?" Meetra asked as she stopped his hand and propped herself up on her elbows.

"Miraluka. You know, they're a race that just sees with the Force. No eyes. Creepy if you ask me. Heard they all got wiped out in some attack not too long ago, so I'm kind of surprised to see one, especially here. Sit up. Lift your arms," Atton commanded.

"An entire race?" Meetra whispered, barely paying attention as she lifted her arms above her head per Atton's request. Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by Atton trying to pull her tunic up and over her head. Instinctively, she slapped him. Hard.

"Ow," Atton said quietly as he lifted his hand to side of his face where her hand had connected with his flesh. "Not bad for a girl," the scoundrel chuckled lightly, still rubbing his cheek where a red handprint was forming.

Meetra's hands covered her mouth. "Atton! I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. I -" she stopped. "What the hell were you doing?" Meetra frowned, moving her hands to smooth her tunic back over her body, carefully avoiding the fresh wound on her abdomen.

"Trying to help you," he answered. "Unless you'd like Kreia to help you with this? I'm sure she'd be real gentle."

With a light huff and a roll of her eyes, Meetra reluctantly agreed, lifting her arms above her head. Atton didn't hesitate as he quickly pulled her top up and over her head, disturbing her already disheveled braid in the process.

Now that he had her tunic off, Atton didn't see why she had been so uptight about. Although she was topless, he couldn't see much. Her ample breasts were tightly bound with tan bandages - makeshift undergarments no doubt - although a line of cleavage spilling out over the top caught his eye.

"You. Bandage. Now," Meetra chided, noticing Atton's eyes lingering farther up her body than need be.

Atton shook his head with a smile and began working his nimble fingers on the wound. "This may sting a little," he warned as he poured the contents of one of the vials directly onto the wound, causing Meetra's eyes to roll back as she bit down on her fist.

"Frack," she grunted. As quickly as the pain had begun, it subsided. With the precision of an expert, Atton smoothed the clear goo over the gash on Meetra's abdomen. It almost seemed as if he had had training. "Where'd a scoundrel like you learn to treat lightsaber wounds?" she questioned.

Instead of looking at her, Atton pressed down on the hard muscle of her upper abdomen, gently forcing her to lay flat on the bed as he worked. "You figure things out when you need to," he answered softly, his eyes still focused on her wound. Meetra noticed one of his hands touch the white scar on his collarbone she had first noticed during their time on Telos. The gesture made her wonder if the scar had been inflicted by one of the sophisticated weapons. She quickly shook her head at the notion. It was impossible. Why would Atton be in a fight with someone who had a lightsaber?

"All done," Atton said, a hint of pride in his voice. "Unless you'd like me to help you with _other_ things now that you've seen how I can put these fingers to work," he said quietly, a smirk finding its way to his face.

"_Tempting_," Meetra laughed as she rolled off the bed, grabbing her tunic and easing it over her head as she walked down the narrow hall toward the medbay to check on the Miraluka.


	8. Chapter 8 - Rival of Affections

After witnessing his healing abilities, Meetra asked Atton to stay with the Miraluka who still hadn't woken from her injuries. Atton begrudgingly agreed - he didn't mind Meetra going out into the hills with Bao-Dur, but hated the fact that she would be with Kreia who suddenly had a change of heart and wanted to help find Vrook.

"Old hag probably didn't want to stay on this ship with me," Atton mumbled to himself. The thought of Kreia being along with Meetra troubled him. It just gave the old schutta an opportunity to fill her head with Jedi-Sith hybrid nonsense. It also gave her plenty of time to tell Meetra the secret the wrinkled woman had pried from his mind while on Telos. The thought of Meetra learning of his past made him shudder.

"Ready to go?" Meetra said aloud in the hall as she secured her sword in its holster. "Atton," she said quietly as she poked her head in the medbay where Atton was reading the labels on the seemingly countless vials in the medical cabinet. Once he looked up, she spoke once more. "I know it's not really your thing, but thanks for taking care of her. I appreciate it," she smiled nervously.

"No problem. Just means you owe me and we _both_ know where that will take us," he smirked, eyes drifting further down than Meetra was comfortable with. With a huff and a light chuckle, Meetra lowered the ramp of the Ebon Hawk and was quickly followed by Bao-Dur and Kreia.

The ship was eerily silent. Every once in awhile, Atton heard the beeping of T3 as he traversed the ship, trying to fix the rickety freighter. Hours passed. After walking around the ship several times while playing mental pazaak, Atton made his way back to the medbay. Situating himself on a stool in the corner, Atton closed his eyes and began daydreaming about Meetra in various states of undress. A smile crossed his face as he drifted into sleep, however, this didn't last long - a calm but steady voice woke him.

"Where is the Exile?" the woman on the bed asked, now sitting up, her face turned in Atton's direction.

"She's out," Atton cleared his throat, finding his way back to his feet. "Can I take a message?" he asked with a bit of lighthearted sarcasm in his voice. If the Miraluka noticed his attempts at being playful, she chose to ignore it. Instead, Atton felt her bore through his skin with her nonexistent eyes. He was uncomfortable.

"So much pain. So much darkness. Yet, there is a glimmer of light. It's growing stronger," the Miraluka said, her voice trailing.

"Yeah," Atton said, scratching his head. "Meetra's had a rough life. But I definitely wouldn't call her dark," he defended.

"I wasn't speaking of the Exile," the Miraluka said. "I was speaking of you. How long have you been Force sensitive?"

Atton's jaw dropped, but he quickly recovered. How could she have known? "Look sister, I think you're a little confused. You must be more banged up than I thought. Took a couple blows to the head maybe," he said as he turned around to fumble with the vials in the cabinet once more.

"The Force does not lie," she ignored Atton's dismissal. "I sense a deep hurt in you but recently, the light has begun to push through. Tell me, how long have you been in love with the Exile?"

"How are you - would you stop calling her that? She has a name," Atton grumbled, annoyance in his voice growing. "Look, I don't know you, uh..." he paused, realizing he didn't know what to call her.

"Visas."

"Well, Visas. I don't know anything about you and you sure as hell don't know anything about me or my past."

"Very well," Visas nodded. "But the Force is never mistaken, Atton."

"How did you know my name?" Atton narrowed his eyes. Before Visas could answer his question, the still of the ship was broken by an unfamiliar male voice. The man had a thick, all-too-proper accent and was talking about books in a tone that was far too chipper for Atton's taste. "You, stay," Atton instructed Visas as he tiptoed out of the medbay, blaster at the ready. As he peeked around the corner, he was surprised to see Meetra nodding and smiling at the owner of the voice in the Ebon Hawk's main hold.

The man was tall, but not quite as tall as Atton, although he made up for it with bulky muscles. He had neatly combed blond hair and bright blue eyes filled with innocence, a stark contrast to Atton's piercing hazel eyes. Incredibly white teeth lined his mouth - each tooth was perfectly straight, as if someone had placed each one with care. Atton took a moment to run his fingers over his own teeth - they were white and somewhat straight, but not nearly as white or straight as the stranger's. In short, he was the complete opposite of Atton in every way. Every way except one - he couldn't stop staring at Meetra. The man had the same look in his eyes as Atton had for the past month and a half. Atton felt his blood boil.

Despite the annoyance, he allowed the man to keep talking for a few moments - he couldn't tell if Meetra was feigning interest to be polite or if she was actually interested in the mind-numbingly boring conversation. After a few moments, Atton didn't care.

"Miraluka's awake," Atton said as he strode into the room. "Who's this?" he questioned, tilting his head in the stranger's direction.

"Atton, this is the Disciple. Disciple, this is Atton Rand," she motioned with her hand.

"Please, call me Mical. Disciple is merely a title. A nickname of sorts," he said politely.

"_Uhh-huhhh.._." Atton bit his lower lip, sizing the man up. "Disciple, is it?" he asked, deliberately ignoring Mical's request to be called by his name.

"He's joining us on our journey," Meetra said in an excited tone. Atton's heart dropped. He didn't know anything about this "Disciple" character, but he knew Mical was exactly what a Jedi would go for if allowed to be in a relationship. Well-spoken. Book-smart. Groomed. Squeaky clean in every way.

"We don't need any help," Atton said quickly.

"I understand your trepidation of inviting a stranger on your journey, but I believe I may be of some assistance, Atton. I -"

"Look," Atton interrupted. "We've been getting along just fine without you. I doubt we'll be needing your help now. Thanks though, blondie," Atton patted Mical's shoulder as he walked toward the cockpit.

"Ah-excuse him," Meetra stammered, fighting the blush rising in her cheeks. "He's had a rough day. He's-he's sick. Make yourself comfortable. I'm going to go check on him." Meetra hoped that lying and blaming illness for Atton's rude behavior would smooth things over.

With a nervous smile, Meetra turned, quickly following Atton into the cockpit before slammming the door behind her. "What the hell was that?" Meetra frowned, spinning the pilot's seat around so he was staring directly at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about, sweets," Atton said, trying to avoid her intense glare.

"I think you know exactly what I mean."

Atton had to think quickly - he didn't want to admit jealousy. That seemed childish and he knew it. "We're not running a passenger cruiser here. I just want to make sure we're not picking up dead weight," he shrugged.

The Jedi knew he was lying, but chose to ignore it for the time being. "Let's not pull anything like that again. I've already got enough on my plate," Meetra said as she slumped onto the center console. "We found and saved Vrook from mercenaries. He was less than happy to see me, not that I expected much. This is going to get really old, really quick if every Jedi Master drudges up every mistake from my past like he did."

"Who cares what they think?" Atton shrugged, trying to lighten her mood.

"It just brings up painful memories is all," Meetra said softly, her voice trailing. Visions of the holovid of Meetra's trial T3 downloaded from Atris' academy on Telos flooded his mind. The Council had been brutal. Wanting to give her support, he stood and pulled her close, giving her a light hug.

"Hey, we're going to get through this," he whispered as he stroked her hair. Drawing from his support, Meetra pulled him even closer and hugged him tightly. A smile crossed her lips - being in his arms felt so right. The two stood in silence, neither breaking the embrace for several minutes, only pulling away when they heard someone trying to open the rickety cockpit door. Atton rolled his eyes when Mical stepped into the room.

"Pardon my intrusion, but the Miraluka wanted to speak with you, Exile."

"Of course," Meetra nodded as she moved to walk through the door. "Set a course for Nar Shadaa, will you, Atton?"

"Yep," Atton said as he walked to the navi-computer. Mical was standing in front of the wall console - Atton motioned for him to move with his hand.

"Do you need any help with anything?" Mical asked too eagerly for Atton's taste as he stepped to the side.

"Nope," he shook his head as he worked the navi-computer.

"She's quite beautiful, the Exile," Mical smiled.

The comment was too much - Atton couldn't take it any longer. "Yeah, and I saw her first," he glared. "Get it?"

"Atton, I'm not sure you understand what I mean. My desires for her are not carnal, as one such as yourself may have." The Disciple meant no harm by the statement, but it annoyed Atton to no end.

"So you think I'm just sticking around for an easy lay? Is that it?" Atton challenged, edging closer to Mical. "Because if that's what you're thinking, you're wrong, blondie. Like I said, I've already staked a claim here, so back off. The old hag's available if you're really in need of some company," Atton said, looking Mical up and down through narrowed eyes. "Although I'm not sure you'd even know what I'm talking about."

"We'll see," Mical said quietly. With that, the Disciple left the cockpit, leaving Atton to count pazaak cards in his head and listen to the hum of the control panel.


	9. Chapter 9 - A Stranger's Warning

"Ah, Nar Shadaa's refugee sector. You can smell it from here," Atton stated sarcastically. "We better not get too close to anyone or we'll be washing the smell out of our clothes for months."

"It may take longer for some of us," Mical muttered just loud enough for Atton to hear, but softly enough to slip by Meetra's ears.

"Good one," Atton snarled. "How long did it take you to come up with that?"

"Disciple. Fool. Focus," Kreia chastised. Mical turned his eyes down, obviously embarrassed but Atton stood tall, attempting to look into Kreia's pupil-less eyes.

"Moving on," Atton continued. "This is a good place to be if you want to get lost."

"Sounds like you know that from experience," Meetra said softly.

"Everyone needs to get lost every once in awhile," Atton shrugged. Something inside told Meetra there was something more - he was hiding something. "Anyways, I'm setting us down in the refugee sector. It'll smell a bit, but it's the best place to stop."

"Alright then. Let's move out," Meetra declared. Everyone scattered, save for Atton, who lingered, staring at the holomap of Nar Shadaa in the center of the room. It had been a while since he'd been back. Funny how different things were now.

The scoundrel thought he was alone but heard a voice coming from the dark corner farthest from him. "Fool, do not forget to protect her. You know this place, murderer. Its alleys, its ebbs and flows, its people. I feel this planet will change her," after a slight hesitation, Kreia added, "and you."

Unsure of what she meant, Atton shrugged it off - he hated how cryptic she always was. Without a word, he walked to the cockpit to collect his blasters.

oo-oo

"I hate to be 'that guy', but we've gotta keep moving. We can't stop to help everyone, sweets," Atton said as he pushed Meetra along through a crowd of beggars, glancing over his shoulder for any suspicious characters. At this rate, she was going to give all of their credits away within the hour. She wrinkled her nose and furrowed her brow at him but knew he was right. They had to keep moving - she couldn't save everyone.

As Meetra, Atton and Mical walked by countless street vendors an angry voice called out. "What are you doing back here?!" a woman screeched. Turning to search for the owner of the voice, Meetra was surprised to see a slender blonde woman standing behind her, hands folded across her chest.

"Do I know you?" Meetra asked as politely as possible. A side effect of being in exile for so long was occasionally forgetting the faces of people she once knew.

"Was I talking to you?" the blonde rudely replied. "I was talking to that bastard," she motioned to Atton.

"Brin. I-uh, I didn't expect to see you around here," Atton said, scratching the back of his head nervously. Meetra looked at Atton and smiled coyly.

"Hi Brin, I'm Meetra," she introduced herself with an outstretched arm looking to shake Brin's hand, disregarding the look of annoyance Atton shot at her. "Are you a friend of Atton?"

"_Friend_? He hasn't told you about me, has he?" Brin said angrily. "I was _more_ than a friend. Or so I thought. I put him up for six months after the wa-"

"Brin! A moment?" he interrupted, covering the blonde's mouth with his hand. "Give me a second, will you?" Atton asked, turning his attention to a smirking Meetra.

Shaking her head with a laugh, she turned to see Mical talking to a street vendor selling books. The two were haggling a price.

This planet was busy. The Force was everywhere - it was almost overwhelming. She took a moment to close her eyes and center herself. Moments later, she felt two bodies approach her own. Assuming it was Atton and Mical, she opened her eyes with a smile, but was shocked to find two Twi'leks standing in front of her.

"That's him alright. A little older and his hair is shorter, but that's definitely him," said one of the Twi'leks looking past her.

"Can I help you?" Meetra asked.

"That man you're traveling with. He's been here before. He got here near the end of the war."

"Who? Atton?" she asked, gesturing over her shoulder in the scoundrel's general direction.

"Is that what he's calling himself now?" one Twi'lek asked the other before turning his attention back to Meetra. "Sure. _Atton_. He's not who you think he is. Be careful of that one."

"What do you mean?" Before she received an answer, the two men walked away with a laugh.

"Don't say we didn't warn you when your friends find you bloodied in your bed," one shouted over his shoulder.

Utterly perplexed, Meetra stood in the marketplace, wondering what the Twi'leks could be talking about. Suddenly, Atton came from behind and rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry, old girlfriend. Kind of bitter," he said quietly, looking over his shoulder, ensuring Brin was out of earshot. "Things didn't quite end well. Anyways, who are your friends? They didn't seem too talkative."

Mical walked up, waving a book with a child-like excitement. "Meetra, you're not going to believe what I found! This book is -"

"Mical, would you please go back to the ship? Atton and I need a moment," she interrupted coolly.

A look of confusion and hurt fell upon Mical's face, but he agreed and began walking in the direction of the Ebon Hawk. Now it was Atton's turn to be confused.

"Everything alright, sweets?" he asked nervously. Meetra still hadn't turned around to look at him. "Look, if this is about Brin, I can explain -".

"This isn't about _fracking_ Brin," Meetra interrupted forcefully. Atton knew she was upset. It was rolling off of her. "Those two men said I should be wary of you. Do I have a reason to be?"

Atton gulped but kept his composure. "What? _Nah_, I probably just beat those guys in a game of pazaak. I mean, I'm good, but every once in awhile I put some cards up my sleeve. You never know when a plus 10 card is going to come in handy," he chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood. To his dismay, Meetra's lips formed a tight line.

"They said I should be careful around you. That you would kill me in my sleep. Care to explain why they'd say something like that, Atton?" she hissed. "_If_ that's even your name."

A fire rose in Atton's belly - he wanted to run, but couldn't. The sound of his life crashing down around him was deafening - he knew she wouldn't be able to forgive him for this. He tried to deflect her question - he had talked his way out of countless difficult situations before.

"I'm as Atton as Atton will ever be," he said, quickly realizing his opening line was somewhat stupid. Ignoring it, he continued on. "And _no_, I _don't_ care to explain anything to you. If I haven't talked about it yet, I'm probably not going to. Hell, I haven't asked you about the Mandalorian Wars. I deserve the same respect, Meetra," he barked as he pointed at her chest. Their faces were inches apart but there was nothing loving about this situation.

"Well then ask!" Meetra shouted, flailing her arms. "I'm not hiding anything like _some_ people."

"Oh yeah, how about Malachor V?" he narrowed his eyes, bringing up the one part of the war he knew would hurt her the most. "_Yeah_, I know about it. Hell, everyone does. How does it feel, having killed hundreds of thousands of people - of your fellow Jedi - in a matter of seconds? I bet that doesn't look good on your service records, huh?" he goaded her on, hoping for a fight about Malachor. Atton needed to get the heat off of himself and wasn't above playing dirty.

Instead of responding in anger as he expected, she looked down, her eyes filling with tears. "That's something I have to live with every day. It _hurts_ every single day like it happened the night before. I can still hear their screams," her voice was shaking, barely above a whisper. Atton realized how cruel he had been - she had been so young when she made that call. The thought of being held accountable for every action from his youth sent shivers down his spine.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It's just -" he paused. "Look, can we go somewhere a little more private? I don't really want to discuss this here." Meetra nodded, a single tear escaped, leaving a wet trail on her cheek. "I'm going to need to stop by the cantina to pick up a whole lotta juma. This could be a long night."


	10. Chapter 10 - A New Beginning

Meetra and Atton had been walking for over an hour without a word - they barely even looked at each other. With a comically large bottle of juma juice in hand, Atton opened a grey door and motioned for Meetra to go in front of him through the small opening. Before stepping inside, she shot him a look of suspicion. The doorway led into an a small, dimly lit lobby - graffiti lined the walls. Atton summoned the turbolift. The two waited for several minutes as they heard the lift squeaking and grinding to pick the couple up and take them to their floor. After stepping into the uncomfortably tight space, Atton pressed a button marked '13'. With a lurch that caused the two to stumble forward, the turbolift began its ascent at a surprisingly fast rate.

The doors slid open on the thirteenth floor and the two stepped out, making their way around a shady looking Rodian waiting for the lift. Atton handed Meetra the juma before picking the lock. "It's mine. Just lost my keys a long time ago," he assured Meetra. Seconds later, the door opened.

"Welp, here it is. Home," Atton said wearily. "Make yourself comfortable."

Meetra sat down on a dusty but neat sofa facing the kitchen where Atton was rinsing two glasses. The apartment was small but clean. A large bed was in the corner farthest from the barred window, accompanied by an old nightstand. A picture of a smiling Atton and an equally happy raven haired woman was the only thing on the tabletop. Atton followed her eyes to the frame as he filled the glasses to the brim with juma. "Sister," he said quietly, answering her wordless question. She looked back at the picture and flashed a weak smile. "Here," he said softly as he tried placing one of the glasses into her hands. Meetra hesitated before accepting the glass. "Trust me, you're going to need it," he said, taking a sip from the glass. "I know I am."

They sat in silence for a few more moments. "Well?" Meetra asked, sipping the foam off the top of her juma.

Atton paused for a several minutes, formulating his thoughts and choosing his words carefully - he hadn't talked about this with anyone. Meetra sat patiently, wondering what could possibly be that bad.

"I killed Jedi," he broke the silence. It was nothing like he had imagined in his head and he cringed the moment the words left his lips, but couldn't stop now. "I killed lots of them." He explained how he started with the Republic but deflected and joined Revanchist where he became an assassin - a damn good one - during the Jedi Civil War. Revan commissioned him to hunt down and torture Jed - if they decided they didn't want to join Revan, he eliminated them. Atton took a moment to lift his eyes and looked at Meetra. Her face was expressionless - that scared him more than overt anger or disgust would have.

He went on to explain how one day, a Jedi sought him out. He tried to break her for days to no avail. Her grey eyes would stare deep into his hazel eyes as he inflicted unimaginable torture on the woman - it enraged him even more. He recalled plunging a dagger into the woman, twisting it in her stomach as she cried out. Then, just when he thought the Jedi couldn't take any more torment, she looked deeper into his eyes than she ever had. He felt all of her pain and the pain of all of the Jedi he had killed before. She showed him Force and revealed how Revan would turn him into a Dark Jedi sooner, rather than later.

In that moment, he realized he loved the woman strapped to the table beneath him. He loved her so much, he killed her. It was the only way - he knew what Revan would do to her and didn't want her to fall. He wanted to save her, just as she had saved him. Atton wondered if this part of the story made any sense at all to Meetra. At times, it didn't even make sense to him.

After finishing his story, he looked to Meetra - her expression was still blank - she was looking down, smoothing the wrinkles in the sofa's old green fabric.

"Meetra," he started. "Say something. Anything. Tell me you hate me. Tell me you never want to see me again. Tell me you never wish we had met. Tell me you regret that moment on Dantooine. Please, just say something. Anything. I can't take this."

Lifting her gaze, Meetra looked at a glassy eyed Atton. His chest was rising and falling quickly, a result of heavy breathing.

"Is that how you got that scar?" she asked, leaning forward to touch the top of his collarbone where the white scar originated. It was the last question Atton would have expected.

He looked down at the scar where her hand lingered, gently placing his hand on top of hers. "Yeah," he answered softly, shifting uncomfortably. "A souvenir from my first Jedi. I was inexperienced and cocky - I went about it all wrong. Learned from it though. It never happened again."

"And that's where you learned to treat lightsaber wounds," she stated, mentally filling in the blanks as she moved her hand to touch her lower abdomen where her wound had healed. The only trace of the once large gash being a small white scar, similar to the one Atton sported.

"Yeah," he nodded before gulping down more of his juma, leaving his glass nearly empty. "Look, I understand if you want me to leave. You've got blondie now. You'll get on fine without me. I'll ask around and find you guys a good pilot. There are a lot of good guys here, guys from the war. Shouldn't be too hard to find -"

"You're not going anywhere," Meetra interrupted to Atton's surprise. "I can train you," she said softly as she moved her hand to hold his.

"What? As a Jedi?" Atton asked, barely hiding the surprise in his voice. Meetra nodded quickly, a smile finding its way across her lips. "But I killed so many."

"What's done is done, Atton. You can't change it. What you can do is move forward and make the Jedi who sacrificed herself for you proud." She paused as she clutched his hand a little closer to her breast. "You're a good person, Atton." The simple statement left him shell shocked - no one had said that to him in a very long time. Definitely not since the war. "What do you say?"

Her eyes were full of hope. How could he say no? "Ok," he smiled. "Teach me everything. I want to protect you." Meetra couldn't help but smile a little wider with his last statement. Knowing someone cared about her meant more to her than he would ever know. "One thing though," he paused, "can we make my lightsaber yellow?"

Meetra let out a laugh. "Of course," she smiled and kissed his cheek before realizing how impulsive the move had been. Kissing him was still new, somewhat taboo and entirely exciting. Slightly embarrassed, she hoisted herself up off the sofa. "We should get back to the ship before the others start wondering what we're up to," she said as she extended her hand to Atton, offering to help pull him up off the sofa.

He took her hand and the two began their long trek back to the Hawk hand in hand. Although this was hardly the first time they'd walked together fingers intertwined, something was distinctly different. A weight had been lifted from Atton's shoulders. The pang of guilt that had been eating away at him was subsiding. The wall between he and the woman he adored was crumbling. The scoundrel could finally be honest, not only with Meetra, but also with himself.


	11. Chapter 11 - Second Firsts

Several days passed since Atton's confession. Since that time, Meetra had gone in secret to merchants around Nar Shadaa to find the pieces necessary for Atton to build his lightsaber. After finding all of the parts, save for the yellow crystal Atton desired, Meetra hurried back to the ship. She remembering finding a yellow crystal in the caves on Dantooine and had carefully stowed it under her bed for safe keeping.

As she rushed to the ship, Meetra noticed a scantily clad redhead leaning against a crate not far from the Ebon Hawk. She didn't say anything to Meetra. Instead, she watched silently. Meetra considered saying something to the woman, but opted not to for the time being - she wanted to find the crystal and besides, the last time she spoke to a redhead, she had been pushed to the brink of discomfort. A shiver ran up her spine as she recalled Luxa's kiss on Telos. The only person she wanted to kiss was on board the Ebon Hawk.

Meetra jogged the last 40 meters to the Ebon Hawk, barely able to contain her excitement. She recalled receiving the parts to construct her first lightsaber so many years ago on Dantooine. Her heart and mind had soared when the crystal responded to her touch - she couldn't wait to see Atton's reaction.

As soon as she boarded the ship, Meetra beelined to the security room near the cockpit. Bao had constructed a makeshift bed for her in the room a week prior, insisting that as the leader of this mission, she needed her privacy. At first, Meetra had been standoffish and wasn't sure if she should accept his gift, but now, she was beyond grateful for the privacy and that she wouldn't have to see Kreia. There wasn't a doubt in Meetra's mind that she'd receive a long lecture from the old woman if she were to see her current state of excitement.

After a few moments of fumbling through the small box containing what little she owned, she finally found the jagged, pale yellow crystal. It was slightly broken, but Meetra knew it would do the trick. She couldn't help but smile as she looked at the crystal - it was rough around the edges but pleasing nonetheless, just like a certain scoundrel she knew. "You two were made for each other," she whispered with a smile as she looked at the crystal in her palm.

Meetra rushed to the cockpit and opened the door without knocking.

"Atton I -" she stopped and smiled coyly. The pilot was fast asleep - his arms crossed his bare chest, his legs kicked atop the center console. Meetra allowed her eyes to linger on the scoundrel as she bit her lip. "_Damn_," she said softly. "Not bad. Not bad at all." As she turned to leave, she heard a low, gravelly voice from behind her.

"You're not so bad yourself, sweets," Atton said, eyes still closed tight. Meetra blushed, struggling to overcome the embarrassment that her admiration of him hadn't gone unnoticed. "Come here," he said as he motioned her closer, his eyes still closed. The Jedi walked closer, hiding the crystal in her hand. "Now, there's gotta be some reason you came in here so excited. Unless you just really wanted to see me, which is a very real possibility."

"Scoundrel," Meetra smiled as she picked up his shirt from the floor. "I've got something for you," she said in the breathiest voice she could muster.

Atton immediately opened his eyes at the sound of her voice, scanning her to see why she had been talking in a tone he found impossibly attractive. "I knew that would work," Meetra smiled as she threw his shirt onto his lap. "Now that I've got your attention, I want to give you something." Stretching her hand out, she revealed the crystal in her palm. "I've got all the pieces for your lightsaber!"

A wide grin spread across Atton's face as he carefully took the crystal into his hand - his reaction was just as Meetra hoped it would be. "When do we start?" he asked, sounding more excited than he had hoped. Didn't want to sound too eager after all.

"Right now," Meetra replied, searching her pack for the rest of the pieces as Atton struggled to put his shirt on.

The two quickly began working. Atton fiddled with the pieces as Meetra instructed him, coaching him just as Kavar had coached her over a decade ago.

"What's this extra piece?" Atton questioned, holding the butt of his lightsaber body dangerously close to his eye. Meetra quickly pulled it away so he wouldn't poke his eye out.

"I'm-I'm not quite sure actually," Meetra admitted as she inspected the aluminum hilt in her hands. "Let's just try this out," she said, handing the tool back to Atton.

He placed the yellow crystal into the hilt, a click alerting the two that his lightsaber had been properly assembled. With a smile on his face, Atton's lightsaber came to life.

To Meetra's shock and Atton's delight, the lightsaber sprouted a yellow beam of light on either end of the hilt.

"Double-bladed?" Atton inquired, his voice thick with happiness. "Nice," he smiled as he twirled the tool effortlessly. Meetra couldn't help but notice that his touch with the lightsaber - namely the double-blade - seemed natural.

"You seem pretty comfortable with the double-blade," Meetra remarked. "Not many people are."

"It's what I learned with as a boy," Atton said, eyes lingering on the blade as he listened to the dull hum of the blades slicing through the air.

"Really? I don't think I've ever heard of anyone learning the basics of combat with a double-blade."

"It's pretty standard on Alderaan," he shrugged.

This simple statement set Meetra's mind to the races. "You know," she said as she stood, being careful not to get too close to Atton and his new lightsaber, "I really don't know too much about your time before the war."

Atton switched the lightsaber off. "I guess you're right," he noted as he gently tossed the hilt in his hands. Now that he felt he had nothing to hide from Meetra, he was comfortable with answering some questions. "Alright. What do you wanna know?"

Meetra paused for a moment. "Well, for starters, who taught you how to maneuver a double-blade? That's not exactly a skill most people teach their kids, seeing how expensive they are."

"Never said my parents were poor. But my grandpa did. He was an old war hero on Alderaan. Good old Atton Rand," he recalled with a smile.

"So you were named after him I suppose?"

"Yeah. Well, no, not by birth anyways. My parents named me Jaq," he paused. He hadn't said that name aloud in years. It felt strange as it left his lips. "After the war, I needed a change, starting with my name. So, I took on the name of the person I admired most in this galaxy."

Meetra smiled - she hasn't realized how sentimental Atton could be. "So did he teach you how to fly too?"

"Atton? No. I learned that from my parents' pilot. We traveled so much that the cockpit just kind of felt like home after a while," Atton stated.

"Where are they now?" she asked.

"Parents? Died in an attack on Taris a few years back. You may've heard about it, but then again, you were probably wandering the Outer Rim around that time, so maybe you didn't."

"I'm so sorry," Meetra said softly. "And your sister?"

"Gemma? I - uh. I lost track of Gemma about a year after the Mandalorian Wars began," he said as he rubbed the back of his head. "We used to write letters back and forth. We were close, she's only a year older than me, but she ran off and married a guy she'd been friends with for years - my parents never liked him. They said he was 'too much of a scoundrel'," Atton couldn't help but chuckle, wondering what his parents would think if they saw him now. "Anyways, once she married him, they ran off to some planet outside of my dad's jurisdiction. Then, life happened and we just kind of lost touch."

Meetra hadn't anticipated this and she could tell it hurt him. The pilot still cared for his sister deeply, as evidenced by the picture he kept on his nightstand in his small apartment. Before she could speak to ask what he meant by jurisdiction, Atton began.

"My turn," he smiled as he tossed her his lightsaber. "We'll start off easy. Where are you from?"

After a moment of hesitation, Meetra replied. "I honestly don't know," she said quietly, weighing his lightsaber in her hand. "I know it was somewhere on the Outer Rim, but aside from that, I'm not sure. My parents sent me to Dantooine when I was 4. I never saw or heard from them again." Atton hadn't expected that answer or the hurt that shone in Meetra's eyes - he wanted to change the subject - fast.

"Rapid fire," Atton smiled. "Best childhood friend?"

"Atris."

"Ice queen? Really?" Atton said with surprise. "Wouldn't have guessed that. First crush?"

"Either Kavar, my master, or Alek. He was a few years older than me."

"Ah, into older men? Glad I've got a couple years on you, otherwise you might be chasing after blondie," he smirked.

Meetra blushed. "You're only 30 as of two weeks ago. My tastes could change _very_ quickly," she said sarcastically, a smile creeping across her face. "That all you got?" Meetra asked.

"Hardly," Atton smiled. "First kiss?"

"Force," Meetra laughed, "this one is really stupid. Uh-"

"Don't hold out on me, Surik," Atton playfully commanded.

"Impatient today, aren't we?" she wrinkled her nose. "Let's see. I don't remember his name. To be quite honest, I'm not sure I ever knew it."

"_Someone_ lived life on the edge I see," Atton smiled.

"Are you going to let me finish or not?" Meetra scolded jokingly. "I could tell you about him. He wasn't another student, just visiting from out of town with his family. His father was a senator or diplomat of some sort, the details on that are kind of fuzzy." Meetra squinted her eyes as if she were peering into her past to recall the information.

"He was kind of gangly and awkward. His dark hair was probably a little longer than it should have been, but he was cute nonetheless. I don't think he had had too much luck with the ladies at that point in his life," she laughed. "He had a scar on his leg, right above his kneecap. Some sort of incident with a wookie, I don't quite remember the explanation. It had something to do with a misunderstanding when his father was visiting Kashyyyk."

Meetra paused for a moment, trying to remember more. "The thing I remember most about him was that he had piercing eyes. They were incredibly clear, but I felt like he was looking right through me. Anyways, we kissed on a dare from Alek. Silly, when you think about it."

"Where were you?" Atton asked as he brushed his leg.

"One of the rivers on Dantooine. The boy and a couple of the other boys around his age were skinny dipping in the river when Alek, Revan, Atris and I stumbled upon them. Everyone had been making jokes about the diplomat's son, but I felt bad for him. He had kind eyes," her voice began trailing.

"Anyways," she continued. "Alek dared me to kiss the boy to see his reaction. I tried to get him to come out of the water, but he refused, so I had to go in. I made him turn around before I stripped down to meet him in the river. I called him over and apologized before I pulled him to my lips," she chuckled. "Force, he must've been horrified. I think that was his first kiss too. He seemed shocked, but he ended up kissing me back. It was actually a great first kiss. He ran his fingers through my hair and pulled me close, just like they did in the vids some of the older Padawans sneaked into the compound. Anyways, it lasted for about 30 seconds or so. Probably a little longer than it should've seeing as it was a dare and we were, you know, naked. I pulled away when I sensed Alek and Revan stealing my clothes and running off."

"That boy was sweet enough to give me his clothes so I wouldn't have to walk back to the compound naked," she smiled warmly. "Of course, he wasn't so lucky. Everyone heard his father yelling at him all the way from the guest dormitories that night. I pitied him, but he never turned me in. I could've gotten in a helluva lot of trouble because of what I did that day."

"What happened to the boy?" Atton asked quickly.

"I never saw him again. Kind of wish I could though. You know, just to see how he turned out, see if he's still painfully awkward," she said with a smile. "Anyways, anymore questions?"

"Uh. No. Not-ah. Not right now. I'll be back in a minute." Atton rushed to the refresher, pushing T3 out of his way. Once in a private area, he rolled up his pant leg to reveal a scar he hadn't thought about in years, right above his kneecap, just as Meetra had described. It all clicked in his head. He and Meetra had met years ago during his first visit to Dantooine, his second visit to the planet coming just a few weeks prior.

Atton couldn't help but smile - he was the awkward and gangly boy in the river. Out of everyone in the galaxy, he marveled at the fact that they had met once again and shared their second first kiss only a few meters from where the first had taken place so many years ago. He knew he would eventually tell her, but didn't want to quite yet. Instead, he would keep this little secret to himself.

He rinsed off his face and rolled his pant leg back down before heading back to Meetra in the cockpit, a smirk finding its way onto his lips. The Force really did work in mysterious ways.


	12. Chapter 12 - Suits and Cigarras

As Atton crossed the main room, he noticed the main com-link flashing. Someone sent a message, more than likely for Meetra. They usually were. "Meetra. Message. Probably for you," he called to her. Since the ship was so small, everyone on board heard Atton and trickled into the main hold, waiting to hear the message.

Meetra walked into the room and nodded at Atton, signaling that she was ready for him to start it. A fuzzy and static-filled figure tinted blue in the light of the holovid rose in the center of the room. It was a Quarren. He was part of the Exchange and wanted to meet Meetra at the Jekk'Jekk Tarr, a cantina specifically for aliens who enjoyed inhaling gases that would be poisonous to any human.

Before signing off, the Quarren, Saquesh, warned Meetra to come alone.

The figure fizzled and disappeared, leaving the crew of the Ebon Hawk in the dark. Bao-Dur flipped the lights back on. Everyone's eyes rested on Meetra who didn't seem to notice. Atton broke the silence.

"Good thing it's not a trap or anything," he stated, his voice dripping in sarcasm.

"No, Atton. I feel this may be a trap," Mical said, not missing an opportunity to correct the pilot. Even Meetra had to look at Mical in surprise - he _really_ didn't get sarcasm, did he?

"Nothing gets past you, huh?" Atton deadpanned. Before Mical could respond, Visas spoke.

"I will go in your place, Master. My life for yours," she said humbly.

"That won't be necessary, Visas. I'll be meeting Saquesh tonight," Meetra answered, turning her gaze Atton before adding, "alone." She made sure her tone was firm - she couldn't have him following her. "Bao, do we still have those breath masks?"

"Yes, General, but I'm afraid they won't be of use in that cantina," he noted as Meetra's countenance fell. "It'd be like diving into the waters of Manaan with nothing but a rebreather - you'd last for a few minutes, but you'd be overcome pretty fast. You're going to need something stronger than a little mask, General."

Meetra's eyes scanned the room. She was searching for something, anything, that would allow her to attend the meeting. Then, the idea hit her. She walked to the small cargo hold in the corner of the room, pushing the door's panel to reveal a broken down rust-colored HK droid and some other spare droid parts. She gracefully tip-toed over them, being careful not to damage any of the pieces. Meetra pushed aside some odds and ends - why did they even have that? - before finding what she was looking for.

"Would this work?" she asked Bao-Dur, holding up the helmet of the environmental suit she had picked up on the Peragus Mining Station.

"It wouldn't give you much mobility if you needed to get out of there in a hurry," the Zabrak warned. "I wouldn't advise it."

"But will it work?" Meetra reiterated her question using the same firm tone she had used with Atton moments before.

"Well," Bao-Dur paused. "Yes, General."

"That settles it. I'll wear this," she said matter-of-factly. "Would someone mind helping me into this thing?"

No one moved, instead, they traded glances with one another. "Are you _sure_ you want to do this, Exile?" Mical asked the question everyone was thinking.

"Do I want to? No. But a Jedi...er...ex-Jedi," she corrected herself, "leads a life of sacrifice. I'm willing to do what it takes to get to the bottom of this bounty and find Master Ell on this fracking planet," the frustration in her voice was rising. "Are any of you going to help me or not?"

Atton was the only one brave enough to move. "Sure thing. Bring it on out of there. We'll need a bit of space to get that thing on you." He extended his hand, offering to take the suit so Meetra's could have full mobility to maneuver her way out of the tight space. She handed him the cumbersome suit and pushed the strands of hair that had worked their way out of her braid behind her ear. Bao-Dur stepped forward to grab Meetra's hand, helping pull her out.

oo-oo

It took a few minutes of struggling to get Meetra into the suit. He couldn't help but wonder how she had managed do this alone on Peragus. Eventually, the struggle paid off. Meetra stepped back, placing one hand where her hips should have been - the suit did her figure no favors - the other wrapped around the large helmet.

"How do I look?" Meetra joked, trying to lighten the tense mood she had set about 15 minutes prior.

"At least I won't have to worry about anyone trying to feel you up like the last time we went into a cantina," Atton smirked, recalling their time on Telos. Meetra tried to punch him lightly on his arm, but her inability to do so showed her just how limited her mobility was in this suit. Atton noticed and shot her a concerned look. "Are you positive this is the only way to do this? I've always been more of 'rush in, blasters-blazing, save the damsel in distress', kind of guy."

Meetra smiled. His outward display of concern warmed her heart. Under normal circumstances, she would have kissed him, but this was far from a normal circumstance.

"I should get going," she said, moving more quickly than Atton had expected to the Ebon Hawk's ramp. She started down the ramp before turning around. Her pilot leaned against the intersection of the ship's inner and outer wall, arms crossed, watching her. "Round of pazaak when I get back?" she asked.

He smirked. "Only if we're talking Nar Shadaa rules."

"Deal." And with that, she turned around and began walking toward the Jekk'Jekk Tarr.

oo-oo

A half hour had passed. As Atton smoked on a cigarra, he moved his fingers to fumble around in his pocket. He pulled out three medpacs he had meant to give Meetra before she left. "Frack!" he shouted, the cigarra slipping from between his teeth and onto the floor as he did so. Without another thought, he took off after her.

He spotted her just as she was getting into the lift that would take her to the docks where the Jekk'Jekk Tarr was. "Hey! Meetra!" he yelled, arms flailing wildly as he ran. People stared, but he didn't care - he had to get to her in time. She turned, frowning when she saw him, before stepping off the turbolift and waiting for him to approach.

"I thought I told you to stay on the ship?" she hissed. Meetra wasn't angry - she was concerned. She didn't want him to be in the crossfire if things with the Exchange turned sour.

"I know, I know," he panted. He had sprinted from the Ebon Hawk and was beginning to feel the toll on his lungs. "Force, I've got to lay off the cigarras."

Meetra shot him a look of annoyance, however, it melted of her face the moment he flashed the half smile that made her go weak at the knees.

"Whew! Anyways, I wanted to give you these. I meant to do it earlier, but it slipped my mind," he said as he rummaged through his pockets, handing her the medpacs. "Must've been daydreaming about our little round of pazaak you promised," he smiled.

"Scoundrel," Meetra muttered as she took the medpacs, stuffing them into the top of the suit. They stood in silence for a few moments. "I should get going. Thanks for these," she said, motioning at the medpacs. She began getting into the lift when she heard Atton's voice.

"Meetra." She turned to face him once again. "Just - just be careful. I'll be waiting right here." Meetra smiled and nodded. She walked into the lift and in an instant, she was gone. He looked around for a place to sit and noticed a redhead woman watching the lift Meetra had just left in. He remembered seeing the same woman waiting near the ship earlier in the day - he had a feeling Meetra was being followed.

The woman paid him no mind. She jumped into a speeder, leaning over to mess with the wires under the steering port. Within seconds, the speeder roared to life. She backed up, not caring to look behind her, and sped off, creating her own lanes on the sidewalk, leaving a trail of aliens and humans flashing angry gestures and yelling strong words in her wake.

He thought about heading down the lift to warn Meetra of the woman, but he didn't want to upset her any more than he already had. Instead, he decided to go to the one place he knew he could get answers - the cantina.


	13. Chapter 13 - Deemus

Atton walked into the cantina he had been in so many times before. A drunken and lost looking man was slumped on the dirty floor. He couldn't help but wonder if that was the way he appeared to outsiders just a few short months ago, but he didn't have much time to reminisce before he heard his name being called.

"Atton? Atton Rand? Is that you? It is you, you old bastard!" the deep and jovial voice laughed. "Got a haircut I see. That stupid strand is still in your eyes though. Some things never change."

"Deemus, it's been a while," Atton said with a smile, extending his hand as he walked to the bartender who shook it with a finesse that took him by surprise.

"What can I do for you? Correllian on the rocks like old times? That Twi'lek you always had an eye on is single and in need of credits if you're looking for a good time," Deemus said, elbowing Atton with a wink.

"Nah, none of that for me. I'm here on business," Atton said as he recovered from Deemus' elbow jab, wondering if the man knew just how strong he was.

Atton rested his elbows on the bar counter and looked around the cantina. It was dirtier than he remembered. Yellow stains marked the grey walls - he didn't want to think of how the stains could've been made. The stool next to him was covered in a thick, glossy goo. A light above him flickered and hummed for a few moments before shutting off permanently.

"Hey! Knock it off you two!" Deemus yelled, bringing Atton's mind to the present once again. He looked over his shoulder to see what had riled the chunky bartender. The culprits were a man and a woman pushed deep into a corner. Her legs were wrapped around his back as they kissed sloppily. Atton could see their red glassy eyes from here and knew the two wouldn't remember their rendezvous in the morning.

"Kids these days," Deemus shook his head. "At least you had enough respect to take your ladies into the back room." Atton scratched his head. He wasn't exactly proud of the cheap booze and cheap women of his past. "Anyways, since you didn't come in here to drink, how can I help you, Atton my boy?" the bartender asked as he rubbed his swollen belly.

"I need some information, D. Know anything about a woman with short red hair? Doesn't wear much clothing up top. Could be kind of attractive if she wasn't quite so tough looking?"

"Yeah, I know her. Everyone knows her," Deemus began. "Mira. Not quite sure what her last name is. Nice girl. Tips well. Got a cute figure." Deemus began wiping the grimey countertop with a dirty dish towel. "She's a bounty hunter, you know? I wouldn't advise trying to get in her pants, Atton. Why go for the firaxan shark when there are plenty of harmless guppies around?"

"What?" Atton said in a shocked tone. "No, definitely not what I was thinking. She's a bounty hunter you say?"

"Yep. Damn good one too. Probably the best there is."

Atton snorted. "Can't be that great if she hasn't collected the bounty on those two," he said, motioning toward the wanted poster on the wall. The poster featured two Twi'lek girls. Atton guessed they were sisters.

Deemus looked at the poster then shook his head. "I wouldn't go after those two either. Pretty faces, but man, those schuttas are nasty. They used to be slaves to some Hutt, but they killed him. Apparently that just wasn't enough for them. They ended up killing everyone associated with their old master - friends, family, other slaves. Pretty brutal I hear. Blood everywhere. Hear they're bounty hunters now."

Atton was surprised. Twi'leks were known for their sensual moves on the dance poles, not for being cold blooded killers. Deemus continued talking. "Nah. Mira wouldn't be going after them anyways. All the bounty hunters are after some Jedi. The Exchange has got a pretty hefty chunk of credits waiting for anyone who's able to deliver one alive. They're all at a standstill because bounty hunters aren't allowed to go after the same prey at the same time. Doesn't bother me though. Business has been better than ever!" Atton found that last statement hard to believe. The cantina was almost empty.

"Rumor has it the Jedi they're after's got a nice rack. Too bad she's a Jedi, you know? The things I'd do to her..." Deemus trailed, obviously daydreaming. Atton huffed, brushing the stray hairs in his face to the side. He turned his eyes back to Deemus, but the bartender wasn't looking at him. He was looking past him, his face pale.

Atton turned to see two Twi'leks on either side of him - the same Twi'leks from the poster. "I've got a bad feeling about this," Atton muttered beneath his breath. One stroked his face with the back of her palm and began talking to her sister in a breathy voice in the language of the Twi'leks.

"Cuter than I expected, no sister?" The other grabbed his chin, turning it toward her own.

"I suppose for a human," she purred. The Atton from a few months ago would have been overjoyed at his current situation - two pretty Twi'lek girls talking about how attractive he was - but Atton knew this is trouble.

"Ladies," he smiled, resting an arm on each, "I hate to tell you, but I'm -" Atton stopped. What was he? He couldn't quite say he was taken, but he wasn't available. What exactly were he and Meetra? It was a question he'd have to find an answer to at a later time. "I'm a little busy," he recovered. "But that guy over there looks like he'd enjoy your company," he said, motioning at the man, still slumped on the floor.

"The attractive man is funny, sister," said the first Twi'lek.

"Too bad we'll have to kill him. Such a waste of a pretty face." In a swift move, the women pinned him up against the counter. Atton reached for his blaster, but it wasn't there. In his haste to reach Meetra with the medpacs, he had forgotten it in the cockpit. He reached to the other side of his holster, hoping for something - anything - to help him out of this situation.

Then, he felt it. The lightsaber Meetra had given him just hours before. He wasn't quite sure how to wield it, but it was his only option. He quickly drew the 'saber and ignited it - the two sisters jumped out of the way just in time to avoid Atton's yellow blades.

He jumped down from the counter and moved closer to the Twi'leks. By this time, they had already pulled out swords of their own. "_Frack_," Atton mumbled. He figured the mere sight of the weapon would scare the sisters away.

"This one wants to fight back," the second Twi'lek purred to her sister. "This will be much more fun," she smiled, showing a mouthful of pointed teeth. The other nodded, agreeing with her sister's statement.

Atton twirled his lightsaber. "Here goes nothing." He lunged at the first sister. She easily blocked his advance. The second attempted to stab Atton from behind, but he quickly blocked her with the second blade. He didn't even have to look to know she was coming - was that the Force? The fight raged on - Atton was starting to get the hang of his lightsaber.

The skirmish raged on for several minutes. Atton anticipated and parried the swing of their blades expertly, but knew he needed to end this quickly. If the bounty hunters weren't going for Meetra, they were coming for him and the rest of the crew. He swung his blade furiously, knocking one Twi'lek on her back. On the way down, she hit her head on the edge of the table with a sickening thud. "One down," Atton mumbled.

The Twi'lek that was still standing paused to look at her sister, a small pool of blood forming around her head. She looked back at Atton with a vicious look in her eyes, hissing before lunging forward, spinning her blade at lightning fast speeds.

Atton kept up with her. Both were sweating profusely. The Twi'lek pulled out a dagger with her free hand and threw it at Atton. It caught his arm, ripping his old white shirt and slicing his skin. He gritted his teeth in pain as the blood streamed out of his arm and onto his hand. Capitalizing on his moment of pain, the Twi'lek rushed forward and shoved Atton back onto the counter. The sheer force and brutality of her body slam caused him to drop his lightsaber.

She put her blade to his throat. "Such a pity," she said, taking a moment to stroke his face. Atton closed his eyes - Meetra's face was the only thing he could think of. He smiled knowing her face was the last thing he would see. The cold blade was pressed firmly against his Adam's apple when he heard a loud, cracking noise near his head.

Atton opened his eyes. The Twi'lek was slumped over on his chest, a fresh gash on her head allowing her green blood to flow onto his shirt, her blade still angled at his neck. He was covered in shattered glass and amber liquid. He turned his head to see Deemus standing behind the counter, a broken Correllian whiskey bottleneck still in his hands.

"I couldn't let that schutta kill my best customer," Deemus chuckled heartily. "How else would I make any money in this hell-hole?" Deemus was laughing so hard he began to wheeze.

Atton pushed the Twi'lek onto the floor. "Deemus, I owe you." Atton said as he hugged Deemus across the counter, patting the large man on the back before letting go and running out of the cantina. He had to get back to the Ebon Hawk to warn the others.


	14. Chapter 14 - The Hunter and the Hunted

Meetra could see the neon glow of the Jekk'Jekk Tarr's sign in the near distance. "Finally," she breathed. Ignoring the fatigue from walking with the added weight of the environmental suit, she quickened her steps, wanting to get the meeting over with.

"You look ridiculous," a raspy woman's voice called out. Meetra cocked her head in the direction of the voice, resting her eyes upon a shadowy figure sitting atop a crate, swinging their legs like a child.

"Who are you?" Meetra asked, squinting her eyes to get a better look at the silhouette shrouded in shadow. The figure jumped down from the crate, landing easily on their feet.

"Doesn't matter who I am," the woman answered. "All that matters is that I know who you are, _Jedi_."

Meetra's heart skipped a beat. Someone knew who she was and she was defenseless. Her lightsaber was tucked away in the suit - the thickness of the suit would block her ability to wield the Force. As the figure walked closer, Meetra could make out the smooth curves of a woman's body. She could also see the outline of a large sword in the woman's hands. Taking a step back, Meetra glanced behind her - only a meter or so separated her and the edge of the walkway. Craning her neck, she looked down - all she could see was a seemingly endless abyss. Standing her ground was her only option.

"I think you have me confused with someone else," Meetra lied.

"You Jedi are worse liars than I thought," the woman snorted as she stepped into the light. She was armed to the teeth. Dart guns were wrapped tightly around her wrists. A blaster rested on her hip. Her pockets were filled with small orbs - an assortment of grenades was the only explanation for the bulges. The neon light of the Jekk'Jekk Tarr's sign caught the glint of the woman's sword - it had been modified and glowed green at the tip. Poison.

Meetra knew her eyes shone fear when the woman chuckled a bit.

"Don't worry, I'm not like the other bounty hunters. Believe me, if I wanted to, I could've picked you off, easy," the woman crossed her arms.

Meetra took this moment to inspect the woman. Bounty hunters typically dressed in thick, gaudy ceremonial armor, covering every last inch of their body. This woman was different. Her short red hair was pulled off her face by a headband. She wore a dark green ballistic jacket and black leather pants that hugged her every curve. As for her shirt, it was virtually nonexistent. Instead, the woman stretched an iridescent green wrap across her chest, tying it in the center. If this woman didn't look so dangerous, Meetra would have guessed she was selling herself.

"Look," the woman began. "You want to get to the Exchange and I know how to do it. And this," she said, waving her hand at Meetra's suit, "isn't the way to do it."

"Then what would you propose?" Meetra asked, trying to conceal the mounting frustration in her voice. This woman was wasting her precious time.

"Follow me," the woman said, as she turned and began to walk in the opposite direction of the Jekk'Jekk Tarr. Meetra didn't move. "Oh come on," the woman huffed. "Look, if I were going to kill you, I would've pushed you off the walkway about 5 minutes ago. You'd still be falling. Just follow me. I know what I'm doing."

Meetra knew in her heart the woman was right. Against all sense and logic to the contrary, something about this woman felt safe. She began following the woman, walking as fast as the suit would permit.

"This is going to take a while, isn't it?" the woman complained as the two unlikely companions walked into the night.

oo-oo

Atton didn't even wait for the ramp of the Ebon Hawk to fully lower before he leaped onto it and made his way into the ship.

"We've got problems," he alerted the crew in a voice as loud as he could muster, exhausted from his sprint and having had fought for his life just a few minutes prior.

"Atton," the Disciple greeted him with a toothy smile. Visas wasn't far behind. "What seems to be the problem?"

"The bounty hunter truce is off, but they're not going for Meetra," Atton paused. "They're coming for us."

"The fool is right," Kreia said in a low voice as she emerged from the hallway that led to the dormitory she had claimed as her own. "We must turn our attention to our own survival if we are to aid the Exile in the future."

"Yeah, what she said," Atton nodded. This was the first time Kreia had agreed with him without argument, a monumental occasion indeed.

"So what should we do?" Bao-Dur asked, wiping engine grease from his hands. Before Atton had the opportunity to answer, Visas spoke.

"Someone approaches," she said softly, sending shivers up Atton's spine. He looked out of the small port window near the Ebon Hawk's ramp. The Miraluka was right - a large group of Gands were assembling near the path that led to the Ebon Hawk's landing pad.

"Well, let's hope you're as good with a blaster as you are using fancy words," Atton murmured to Mical as he shoved a blaster into his chest. "Showtime," Atton whispered as he stepped outside to meet the Gands.

There had to be at least fifteen of them. "You fellas lost?" Atton called out. Three of the Gands stepped in front of the pack, answering him not with words, but by firing a warning shot that whizzed past Atton's face.

"I think he was threatening you," Bao stated sarcastically, making his way down the ramp.

"I'll have to agree with you on that one," Atton replied, being careful to keep an eye on the approaching pack. "Which one do you want?"

"I'll take the stupid one who decided to threaten you," Bao replied, twirling a Gamorrean battle axe he'd picked up months ago on the surface of Telos.

Atton sensed someone behind him. He turned slightly to see Visas, T3 and Mical coming down the ramp.

After a moment of slight hesitation, Visas began the charge, striking down a Gand with her refurbished red lightsaber. Atton followed suit, igniting his lightsaber and running straight into the thick. Bao assisted Visas with a particularly resilient Gand - the leader of the pack - while the Disciple and T3 provided cover fire. The crew fought as one, amazed at how effortlessly their battle styles meshed. They were a team in every sense of the word.

In a moment where the battle was particularly intense, Mical grunted loudly as he extended his hand to the sky. Everyone near him flew back several feet, landing square on their backs. Atton paused in shock for a moment before resuming combat.

"Guess there's about to be one more Jedi on board," Atton snorted. He was fine with the idea. The only thing that troubled him was the inevitable one-on-one training sessions blondie would have with Meetra. But he could worry about that later. Right now, he needed to survive.

Looking further down the causeway, he noticed a green lightsaber poking through the stomach of a Gand who was far from the skirmish taking place on the landing pad. He tilted his head in confusion before he saw another Gand decapitated by the same green blade. Suddenly, a silvery silhouette began to appear. It was none other than Kreia.

"You are not so foolish as to believe you are the only one skilled in the art of secretive combat, are you, murderer?" she said, directing her statement at Atton. Normally he would've pressed the issue of her calling him by anything other than his name, but he didn't have the time nor the energy.

With a final swing of Visas' blade, the battle ended. Aside from a few scrapes and bruises, the crew was unharmed.

"I've got a feeling that won't be the last of them," Atton said solemnly. Everyone knew he was right. "Since we can't help Meetra, the only thing we can do is wait."

oo-oo

"What's that smell?" Meetra asked the woman as she wrinkled her nose.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but we're on Nar Shadaa. It stinks everywhere," the woman replied. "Now, let's get you out of that suit. It's a wonder no one jumped you just for looking like a complete bantha brain." The woman began walking toward Meetra. The two took off the suit without much struggle. Getting out was more simple than getting in.

"So, you know all about me," Meetra started. "Could I at least know your name before we discuss your plans to get me in for a meeting with the Exchange?"

"Mira. That's all you need to know," the redhead answered. She squatted to sit on a small box in the corner of the room, resting her elbows on her knees and placing her chin on her balled fists. The room was dark, save for a single light hanging down by a rusted wire.

"About the plan," Meetra said before stopping. She was beginning to feel lightheaded. Seconds later, the room began to spin. She reached backward, hoping to regain her balance and use the wall as a support. "What's going on?" Meetra asked, feeling sicker by the second.

"That? That's just a bit of poison I've been pumping through the vents for the past few minutes. I've built up a bit of a tolerance over the years," Mira answered, lifting herself up and into a standing position. Meetra tried to yell at the woman but the tightening in her throat that forbade her from doing so. She couldn't keep her balance any longer. The brunette fell to her knees, her legs unable to support her own weight.

"_You_," Meetra managed to push the word out of her rapidly closing throat.

"Yep, me. _I_ am about to take your place at the Jekk'Jekk Tarr and see about this bounty for a friend. And you? Well, you're going to stay here and take a little nap." Meetra's eyes began to close involuntarily. "Night, babe."

Everything went black.

A/N - Thanks for reading! Hope you're enjoying the story so far. I have two quick (but important) announcements.

First, some of the upcoming chapters are shaping up to be more mature, but not quite enough to warrant an M rating for the entire story. That said, I'll make some sort of a notation on the chapter listing for those of you who may not want to read something like that - probably an asterisk (*) or a simple M.

Second, I'm gearing up to start two new stories focusing on the romantic options in KOTOR (FRevan/Carth, Revan/Bastila). The Revan/Bastila fic will have the same rating as this one (T) and will tie in to this story. The FRevan/Carth fic will more than likely be rated M and will be a freestanding story. If you're interested in either of these, but sure to follow me or be on the lookout. Either way, I can't wait for you to read them!

Whew! Sorry for my long-windedness and shameless self-promotion. Again, thank you for reading, your kind comments and follows. - R.


	15. Chapter 15 - Meetra's Knight

Meetra didn't know where she was. The last thing she remembered was trying to save the bounty hunter who poisoned her in what she assumed had only been a few hours earlier. She vaguely remembered talking with Master Ell, but couldn't be sure if she was imagining that or not.

Meetra felt like she was moving.

Slowly opening her eyes, she looked around to discover she was in a large room. The walls were a shade of gold and inviting red velvet chairs sat at the room's center. Just beyond the chairs was a huge window displaying countless stars and ships whizzing by. She was moving. Well, she was on a ship that was moving that is.

Meetra decided to explore the room but that idea was dashed the moment she tried to step forward. She looked up - her arms were chained together above her head. The edge of her tunic was singed. A stinging sensation of a fresh burn bit her neck. "What happened?" Meetra whispered. What she couldn't remember was that the Exchange's overlord, Goto, had shocked her into submission before having her bound to the wall.

Hoping the chains weren't as solid as they appeared, Meetra pulled at her bonds. It was no use. They were as thick as a krayt dragon's scales. Meetra closed her eyes and reached out in the Force. "Kreia?" she called out wordlessly. There was no reply. However, Meetra didn't feel alone.

Someone else was here. The moment she opened her eyes, the feeling of solitude returned - she deduced another Force user was on board. Closing her eyes once more, the feeling returned, growing stronger by the second.

Meetra opened her eyes at the sound of a nearby door sliding open, catching a flash of yellow out of the corner of her eye. "Atton," she smiled. He wasn't alone - Mira was with him. "You_ schutta!_" Meetra shrieked, the words escaping her lips before she could stop them. "What are you doing here?" she narrowed her eyes at Mira, the anger in her voice rising.

"What does it look like? Rescuing you," Mira calmly replied. "Hey, stupid," she called behind her. "I'm gonna shoot up some more of those floating black droids. You deal with your girlfriend." Mira turned back to look at Meetra. "Never was all that good at picking locks. Grenades and explosions are more my thing, you know?" She turned to leave, swinging her hips as she walked.

"The name's Atton, fire crot-"

"Atton," Meetra yelled, cutting his insult short.

"Are you going to save the damsel in distress or not?" Mira questioned Atton. "Because right now, you're not living up to the whole 'knight in shining armor' fantasy."

"Right," Atton nodded his head, deciding to forgo the argument for Meetra's sake. He began running toward Meetra as Mira ran out to face more droids.

"What took you so long, flyboy?" Meetra asked with a smile. Atton didn't reply with words. A hunger she had never seen danced in his eyes. Before she realized what was happening, Atton grabbed her face tightly and pressed his lips against hers.

Meetra wasn't quite expecting this, however, she found the situation strangely romantic. Forcing his mouth open with her own, she kissed him back. Their kisses were sloppy, but neither cared. They both wanted to be as close to the other as possible.

Pressing his body against hers, Atton pinned Meetra to the wall. After a few moments, he released his grip on her face and began running his hands over her burnt smelling body. Atton then removed his lips from hers to caress her neck with his mouth. Meetra pushed her hips against his and exhaled with pleasure when he squeezed her breast with one hand and wrapped the other around the curve of her back.

Pausing for a moment to catch his breath, Atton looked deep into Meetra's eyes, only to have her lunge for him. "Don't. Ever. Do. This. Again," Atton mumbled, his words muffled by the passionate kisses Meetra planted on his lips.

The sound of a grenade exploding nearby brought them back to reality. "Don't you things die?!" Mira yelled.

Atton reluctantly pulled his face just out of Meetra's range and looked up at the chains binding her hands. "I think I should take care of those," Atton smirked.

"I don't know," Meetra flashed a half smile. "This was kind of fun." A look of complete shock crossed Atton's face. To Meetra's surprise, _he_ was the one blushing.

"You done in there?" Mira complained. "Jeez, _I_ could've gotten those chains off by now."

"Force, she's annoying," Atton snorted. While working his long fingers against the lock, he pulled a small black pin from his pocket before placing it between his teeth. Seconds later, he pulled it out of his mouth and put it to the lock. Meetra heard a click signaling her bonds had been loosed. Her arms fell to her sides, tingling as the blood rushed back into her limbs. As she rubbed her sore wrists, Atton pushed Meetra against the wall and kissed her once more. "Just wanted to give you another preview of what's going to happen once we get back to the ship, sweets," he whispered as he pulled away, leaving her wide eyed.

As the blush crossing Meetra's face deepened, Mira walked through the door. "I picked off enough of them that we should have clear passage to get back to the Hawk," Mira stated, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow. "We should go. I've got a friend who wants to have a word with you," the redhead directed her comment to Meetra.

"Let's go then," Meetra said. The three then began running to the safety of the Ebon Hawk to escape the crime boss' yacht.

oo-oo

Hours passed. Meetra met with the second of the four lost Jedi Masters. This meeting went much better than the one with Vrook had, but Ell's reception of her was still icier than she would have hoped.

As she and Mira walked back to the Ebon Hawk, Meetra took advantage of the time together to get to know the bounty hunter. In their short conversation, Meetra realized Mira was Force sensitive. The two women had a long chat about the Force before Mira agreed to train to be a Jedi.

Back on the ship, Kreia told Meetra of Mical's use of the Force during battle. After a conversation that was much shorter than the one with Mira had been, Mical agreed to be trained in the Force as well. Meetra's makeshift school for Force sensitives was filling up fast.

The crew also reluctantly welcomed a new member of the crew - a black floating droid, a "gift" from Goto. Meetra wasn't comfortable with the thought of an intergalactic crime boss who had put out a bounty on all Jedi having a spy on her ship, but she didn't have a choice. G0-T0 was here to stay.

oo-oo

Mira was sitting in the cargo hold, her knees pulled close to her chest.

"You ok?" Meetra asked the bounty hunter, stepping into the room sheepishly.

"Huh? Oh me? Yeah, I'm good," Mira answered. "This planet. It's just so - so, I don't know, loud."

"Opening up to the Force can be overwhelming, even on a quiet planet. This must be a lot to handle," Meetra sympathized with her enemy turned companion. "You're taking it like a champ though."

"Heh, thanks." Mira replied with a half smile. "So what's the lowdown on the crew? Anyone I should steer clear of?"

"Well, between you and I, Kreia can be a bit of a schutta," Meetra whispered. "Let's see," her voice returning to a normal volume. "If you talk to Mical he'll go on and on about books and the Republic, so just prepare yourself. Visas doesn't say too much, but talks in an almost poetic way. It's actually pretty interesting if you ask me. Bao-Dur's basically a loaf of fatmis bread - rough looking exterior but soft and warm on the inside. You fought plenty of G0-T0's friends back on the ship, so you know about him. T3's a droid, but he's a bit sassy," she paused for a moment before addressing the last member of the crew. "And Atton? He's, well, he's just Atton."

Meetra wasn't quite sure how to describe Atton. Was he her lover? Her friend with benefits? Simply her pilot? Unsure of what he was to her, Meetra decided to dodge the issue altogether.

"That's it? That's all you're going to say? '_He's just Atton_'?" Mira mimicked.

Atton was walking nearby when he heard his name being tossed around in the cargo hold. Curiosity took over - he tiptoed closer to the hold to hear what was going on behind the partially open door.

"Well, what would you like to know?" Meetra asked nervously.

"Look," Mira let out a sigh of exasperation. "I'm no relationship expert, but that boy's got it bad for you." The statement made the tips of Atton's ears turn red in embarrassment. Was he really that obvious?

"Uh, well, I -" Meetra stammered, tongue-tied at the thought of her and Atton's mutual attraction.

This wasn't lost on Mira. "And if I'm not mistaken, you've got it pretty bad yourself." A bright shade of scarlet rose into the tops of Meetra's cheeks. "Why are you so red?" she laughed. "I mean, he's not hopeless looking. A little thin for my taste, but better than 90 percent of the guys on Nar Shadaa. So have you two, you know, hooked a power coupling?"

Meetra tilted her head in confusion, earning a snort out of the bounty hunter. "Oh frack, you've gotta be kidding me," Mira said as she extended her legs. "You haven't sealed the deal yet?" Atton nearly choked on the fruit he was munching on. "You Jedi are more innocent than I thought."

"It's just," Meetra paused. "I've never...you know." After years of exile, Meetra wasn't used to talking to anyone about things of this nature, but she felt a strong bond with Mira. The only thing she could compare it to was the bond that formed between sisters.

"Had sex?" the bounty hunter finished Meetra's thought in a voice much louder than she would've liked. "Oh babe. Look, all you've got to do is -"

"Boop boop beep BOOP!" T3 sounded off in the hallway.

"Did that droid just tell someone to get out of his way?" Mira narrowed her eyes, rolling off the bed as she moved toward the door.

Panic set in as the footsteps drew closer to the door. Atton knew if Mira caught him, she would punish him in every way possible. Worst of all, Meetra would be humiliated.

Cursing at T3 beneath his breath for giving away his position, Atton scrambled to get away before he could be found. Just as he slipped around the corner, Mira opened the door, poking her head out to look both ways. The only movement came from T3 motoring down the hall. "Huh," Mira paused, biting her lip. "Weird."

"Anyways, what was I saying?" Mira wondered aloud as she walked back into the room. "Oh, yeah. See, all you've got to do is distract them. Why do you think I dress like this?" she motioned to her exposed midriff. "Once you've got them distracted by the goods, it's pretty simple. And if it's not, just slap the stun cuffs on them and put a blaster to their temple. Makes things a helluva lot easier."

Meetra laughed, but stopped when she realized Mira wasn't kidding. "Oh," she cleared her throat nervously. "So you think Atton wants to -"

"Are you _blind_?" Mira interrupted. "Surprised that boy hasn't exploded. The sexual tension," she lifted her hands while puffing her cheeks before exhaling dramatically. "It's palpable. It's too much. You've got to give that kid something. Anything. I can barely stand it and I've been here what, three hours? Maybe four?"

A knock rapped on the door before pushing it open seconds later. Atton.

"What do you want, gizka?" Mira asked.

"Not you, that's for damn sure," Atton replied, turning his face to a red faced Meetra. "Where to next, captain?"

"Onderon," she replied, keeping her eyes fixed on the floor.

"Got it," Atton nodded, taking a quick step to return to the cockpit when Mira called out to him.

"Meetra wants to punch in the coordinates. Make yourself useful and help her, will you?"

Both Meetra and Atton looked at Mira.

"_Sure_," Atton said slowly, drawing the word out. "Come on. It's pretty easy - shouldn't take too long to show you." As he walked down the hall, he exuded confidence, but on the inside, he was just as nervous as he had been years before when a pretty young Jedi joined him in the river on Dantooine.

"_What did Mira get me into...?_" she muttered to herself quietly, as she followed him into the cockpit, locking the door behind her.


	16. Chapter 16 - Nar Shadaa Rules - M

It was late. The ship was still. Everyone was asleep. Everyone except for Atton and Meetra that is.

"You're ah. You're going to want to punch the numbers in there and, yeah. Like that," Atton instructed clumsily, his dry throat making his voice crack.

The process lasted all but fifteen seconds. "That's it?" Meetra asked softly, trying to hide just how nervous she was.

"Basically," he exhaled as he scratched his head, a nervous tick of his. "Just say the word and we're off." Atton had already flown the ship into space, so they were primed for hyperspace.

"Let's go."

Quickly flipping switches, trying to make the whole process seem more complicated and impressive than it was, Atton readied the ship for hyperspace. With a loud humming noise, the ship began moving swiftly through the dark expanse. Before she knew it, streaks of blue were whipping past the window.

"I've never seen anyone do that before. Pretty interesting," Meetra smiled as she ran her fingers along the cold wall of the cockpit. "I see why you like it up here so much."

Atton shifted in his chair, flashing an awkward half smile. Neither knew what to say, but thanks to Mira, both knew what the other was thinking.

"_So_," he tapped the armrests of the pilot's seat loudly. "You still owe my that little round of pazaak you promised."

"Yeah," she cleared her throat. "Yeah, I suppose I do." Taking a quick glance around the cockpit, she noticed a security camera facing the center of the room. "We can't play here though," she motioned to the camera. "Come with me."

Atton followed Meetra a few steps away to the security room she called home. "There aren't any cameras in here. Plus," she said as she walked toward the computer in the corner, stumbling over a slightly upturned floor grate, "we can keep an eye on everyone else and make sure the game stays, um...private."

"Sounds good to me," he nodded as he locked the door behind him. Seeing as there wasn't a chair in the room, Atton crouched to sit on the floor.

"Don't do that," Meetra exclaimed in a high pitched voice, cringing when she heard it escape her lips. Her voice had always taken on a higher pitch when she was nervous. "Sit there," she motioned to her bed, making a conscious effort to keep her voice steady and even.

Pushing up off the floor, Atton nodded and sat on the edge of her bed, criss crossing his legs. Meetra followed suit on the opposite end of the bed. As he began to shuffle the cards, Atton looked up at Meetra, unsuccessfully trying to stifle a loud gulp. She had loosened her braid, allowing her hair to fall in soft waves around her neck, making herself just a little more attractive to the pilot.

A quick deal and a throat clear later, the game began.

"_Flip the 9, add the plus 6 card_," he counted in his head. In the end, his card counting didn't matter - Meetra scored 27 and shook her head, signaling her loss.

The scoundrel in Atton began taking over. "Tunic," he gestured with a smirk.

Meetra hesitated for a moment before removing her tunic, leaving her top bare, save for strapless tan undergarments she had recently purchased from a Nar Shadaa merchant. A wide eyed Atton rubbed at his neck and pulled at his shirt's neckline before starting the next round.

The two played several rounds. Before long, Atton's shirt, boots, socks and fingerless gloves laid in a heap next to Meetra's tunic, armband, boots, socks and holster. Atton won the next round.

"Leggings."

Meetra stood on the bed and wiggled out of her leggings, throwing them onto the top of the clothes pile - her underwear matched the one article of clothing she had left. Atton coughed and scratched his head, wondering why he was so nervous as she sat back down on the bed.

They tied the next four rounds, making the two burst into uncomfortable laughter. The laughter stopped the moment Atton won the next round. Neither spoke for a few moments, knowing things were about to get heated.

"You know what, you don't have to do this," Atton leaned over to collect her cards. "Nar Shadaa rules are stupid anyways."

"I lost fair and square," Meetra calmly replied. "Call it."

A heat rose into his chest. "When did it get so damn hot in here?" he mumbled to himself before raising his voice. "Uh, _Force_. Uh, top."

Pushing her wavy brown hair to one side as she nodded, Meetra shifted and sat on her heels, her knees folded against the bed before her, her toes digging into the soft bed beneath her. Leaning forward slightly, she put her hand behind her back, searching for the clasp that kept her undergarment secure. She found it and unhooked it without a word, allowing it to fall to the bed before slowly pushing it into the growing pile of clothes. Meetra and Atton maintained eye contact for several moments, neither saying a word.

Atton wasn't sure he could go on with the game. Shifting his eyes, he looked down, beginning to shuffle the cards, accidentally ripping one in the process. Suddenly, the bed began to shift - Meetra was crawling over to him. Nerves forbade him from moving.

Ignoring her rapidly beating heart, Meetra straddled him, her bare chest rubbing against his equally bare chest. She lightly touched his cheek before moving her hands into his hair - Atton still hadn't moved. With a final look into his eyes, Meetra slowly moved her lips toward his, gently kissing him. After a moment, she moved her lips to his jawline. Then to his neck. His collarbone. Shoulder. Chest. Each ripple of muscle. Feeling her hands moving to his pant buckle, Atton recovered from the shock of what was happening. He reacted.

Atton grabbed Meetra's shoulders and gently pushed her onto her back, kissing her lips as he lowered her. Moving down her neck, to the valley between her breasts, he kissed his way down her body before encountering her last piece of clothing. Seeking permission, Atton looked up at a doe eyed Meetra - she simply nodded, answering his wordless question. Taking in every last bit of her toned legs as he went, he peeled the undergarment away, before tossing the tan cloth onto the pile.

He continued his mission of kissing every inch of her body. Lower. Still lower. Spreading her legs to kiss the inside of each of her thighs, he paused to look at her face. "Are you ok with this?" he asked in a voice softer than he had ever used with her. "Because if not -"

"Yes," she interrupted in a small shaky voice, showing just how nervous she was. Meetra had been in a similar situation before, but never on the receiving end.

"Ok," Atton nodded before placing one hand on her stomach, pressing down firmly, before slowly sliding his fingers into her. As he moved his fingers inside her, she involuntarily squirmed with pleasure.

Wanting to take things to the next level, Atton lowered his head, softly kissing the area where his fingers worked before employing his mouth to bring her more pleasure.

Meetra clutched the white sheets with all her might as her eyes rolled back in her head. A soft involuntary moan left her lips - she would have been embarrassed, but she could barely think straight. Atton went on for several minutes, as breathing became a labored activity for Meetra. A swore crossed her lips as he brought her to her climax. Expecting him to stop, she opened her eyes, only to see he hadn't moved and was continuing on.

Just when Meetra thought she couldn't take anymore pleasure, Atton changed his strategy. He kissed his way up her body, before taking one of her breasts in his mouth, nibbling it gently. Meetra grabbed his hair with shaky hands and stroked it lovingly.

Wanting to give him as much pleasure as she had just received, Meetra reached out to loosen Atton's pant buckle before he grabbed her hand, halting it before it arrived at its intended destination. "Not tonight," he whispered as he shook his head. "It's all about you tonight," he said with a weak smile. "We'll take this slow."

Planting a fleeting kiss on her forehead beaded with sweat, Atton finished off the night of passion with a tender kiss on her lips before rolling off of her, resting his head against hers. Meetra played with his hair until the two fell asleep, holding each other tight.


	17. Chapter 17 - Breaking

The great hall was dark. The only source of light was provided by the ominous red glow dancing against curved white pillars.

Tears streamed down Meetra's face as she walked away from a lifeless form covered in black robes at the room's center. Through her tear-blurred vision, she noticed another heap, also covered in black robes, near the room's entrance. A pool of blood had formed around the lump Meetra deduced was a body. Exactly whose body she was walking toward was still a mystery.

"Did I save you yet?" a weak voice called out from the form.

Atton.

Meetra began running and slid to a halt near Atton, lowering her face to be on the ground near his. The action resulted in one side of her face being covered in his deep crimson lifeblood, but she didn't care. Right now, she needed to be near him. From this vantage point, she could see his face was a sickly pale hue. Swearing beneath her breath, Meetra sat up, carefully lifted his head and placed it in her lap.

A large gash marked his face, but Meetra knew all of this blood couldn't have come from the single wound. She frantically searched the flowing robes, trying to find the root of the problem. When she found it, she couldn't hold in her gasp. Atton's arm was gone.

"That bad, huh?" he asked with a weak smile.

"No, no," Meetra lied, gently stroking his face. "It's not too bad. Nothing Mical can't handle. A few stitches and you'll be good as new." She tried to stay positive for Atton, but the now steady stream of tears flowing down her cheeks and quivering jaw betrayed her.

"You're a terrible liar," Atton chuckled. As he did, he began to cough blood, splattering all over Meetra's tan robe. "Didn't want you to see me like this. Didn't want you to see me die."

The rise and fall in his chest was slowing and becoming shallow. Growing more frantic by the second, Meetra tried to heal him with the Force, but there was only so much the Force could do. "Dammit, come on!" Meetra yelled at herself in frustration.

Atton grabbed her hand and shook his head, silently asking her to save what little energy she had left. "So glad I met you. Loved every second. Wouldn't take back a thing. I -"

"Don't talk like that," Meetra chided as she searched his pockets, searching for something to stop the bleeding. "We're going to get out of here and we're going to live and we're going to get old together." Meetra placed her hands on Atton's chest - his heartbeat was growing faint. "No. No. No. You can't die," she wailed as she cradled his head in her arms. "I love you," she whispered. With a deep breath, Atton closed his eyes. It was over.

oo-oo

Gasping for breath, Meetra shot up in bed, her still naked body dripping with sweat. Glancing to her side, she saw Atton was still laying next to her, sound asleep despite her sudden movement, his body pressed tightly against her own.

Kreia's voice broke the silence in her mind. "_Ah_, you have finally seen what I have known will come to pass since the beginning. It hurts you."

As panic and desperation set in, Meetra pulled at her own hair, fighting to get Kreia out of her head.

"The fool's death will leave a wound on you similar to the one left by Malachor."

"There has to be some other way. This has to be a mistake," Meetra frantically replied to Kreia through the Force, a single tear streaming down her face.

"You know it is true. Your heart has known for quite some time, Exile. Atton Rand will just be another name on the long list of those who have died to protect you."

"NO!" Meetra screamed, both in her head and aloud. The scream woke Atton, who quickly sat up and searched for her before wrapping his arms around her.

"Hey, hey, hey," Atton whispered as he rubbed her back, trying to calm her. After a few moments, he gently grabbed her chin, turning her face to his own. "What's wrong?"

Unable to control her trembling, Meetra tried to speak, but the knot in her throat stifled the words fighting to be spoken. Instead, she threw her body against his and began to cry.

"It's gonna be ok," he assured her. "_Shhhh_." Atton began softly rocking her body back and forth, gently running his fingers up and down her back. Several minutes later, he pushed her back enough so he could look into her eyes. "Now, what seems to be the problem?"

Through red and glassy eyes, Meetra gazed at Atton. His eyes were beautiful - a piercing yet brilliant shade of hazel. They were so full of life. So full of light. The thought of them fading was more than she could bear. "I can't lose you," she whispered.

"Sweets," he chuckled, pulling her close. "I'm not going anywhere."

Reluctantly, she pushed him away, shaking her head. "I can't lose you. That's why you need to leave."

"What are you talking about?" Atton sat straight up, backing up slightly to get a better look at her. If this was some sort of joke, it wasn't a good one.

"When we land on Onderon, I need you to stay there," she said softly, unable to believe what she was saying, but knowing she had to for his own good. "I'll give you as many credits as you need to get back to Nar Shadaa or wherever you choose to go. You just - you can't stay here."

Both of their eyes were filled with hurt. Meetra swore she could hear the sound of her heart breaking.

"I-I don't understand," Atton stammered. "Am I not good enough for you? You want to take blondie for a test drive down there? Is that it?"

Meetra was now painfully aware of her nakedness. The bed was small - her breasts were still pushed against his warm skin, his hand rested on her thigh. The warmth and comfort that had enveloped her just moments before gave way to a cold chill. She reached for the white sheet and pulled it around her body, creating a small barrier between them.

Atton quickly rolled off the bed and began pacing. "So was all of this a joke to you?" he questioned Meetra, a dangerous cocktail of anger and hurt brewing in his tone.

"No, Atton, I -" Meetra began before he waved her off.

"You know, the funny thing is, I thought you _actually_ cared. I thought maybe I was wrong about the Jedi. Maybe they all weren't self serving and manipulative."

Clutching the sheet around her body, Meetra rose from the bed. "Atton, just -"

"Don't try to act all shy on me now, Surik," Atton shook his head as a laugh of anger left his lips. "You _certainly_ weren't last night. You might have to tone that down for blondie though, you know, keep up the innocent act. He'll like that."

"Let me explain," Meetra shook her head. "I -"

"There's nothing to explain," he cut her off once more, the volume of his voice rising. "I get it. You used me, just like every other Jedi. Hell, Meetra. You're one of a kind though. Most Jedi just play with people's minds," he paused. "They don't play with their hearts too."

The last statement stung. Meetra closed her eyes tight in an effort to fight the fresh tears welling in her eyes. Atton sat down on the bed to put on his boots, lacing them at lightning fast speeds - he wanted to get away fast. "Atton, please," Meetra whispered, her voice barely audible.

"You know," he said with a snort as he picked up his shirt. "You know I _trusted_ you. I actually _cared_ about you. I cared about you more than I've cared about anyone in a long time." He paused to look at the floor where her clothes still lay, evidence of the night before. "I thought you might actually feel the same," he shook his head as he crumpled his shirt in his hands. "Guess I was wrong." Not wanting to speak anymore, Atton walked to the door and unlocked it, as Meetra began following him.

"Atton, wait, I -" she stopped. Bao-Dur was standing just outside the door, blocking Atton's path. The Zabrak inspected a shirtless Atton, then turned his focus to Meetra.

The wet ghosts of tears that had fallen streaked her face. Despite being covered by the white sheet, Meetra's body was visible through the thin cloth. Bao graciously ignored that fact as he spoke. "What's going on here?" he asked, shifting his eyes back and forth between the two.

"Wow. Got them lining up now, huh Surik?" Atton snarled. "Might want to be careful with that one," he rested his hand on Bao-Dur's shoulder in a false sense of comradery. "She doesn't care about anyone but herself."

Atton pushed passed Bao and walked the few steps to the cockpit, slamming the door behind him with enough force to send ripples down the aluminum walls. The door's lock clicked behind him.

Meetra wanted to run and pound on the door to beg for an opportunity to explain, but knew it would be of no use. Instead, she stayed put, glancing nervously at a confused Bao-Dur. "I can explain," Meetra said quietly.

Bao lifted his hand before speaking. "You don't have to explain anything to me, General." Meetra forced a weak smile. He had been a source of support for so long - she didn't know what she'd do without him. "Do you want me to leave?"

Focusing her gaze on the floor, Meetra shook her head. The thought of being left alone with her thoughts was terrifying. She moved to sit on the bed as he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. As he walked deeper into the room, he noticed the clothes strewn about. It didn't take a scholar to figure out what had happened.

"First fight?" he asked. His question was met with silence as Meetra stared blankly at the wall across the room. After a moment, he patted the still-exposed skin near top of her back. The simple touch opened the floodgates once more - Meetra leaned over, resting her head on the tech's shoulder and began to weep. Her body shook violently as large droplets fell from her eyes.

Finally, when her eyes could bear no more tears, Meetra spoke. "I should've died on Malachor," she whispered.

"Don't talk like that, General."

"No, I should have," her voice rose. "People have _died_ because of me. _Me._ I'm a nobody. I'm useless. I don't belong to any group. I'm not a civilian, but I'm not a Jedi. I'm an exile."

"General," Bao sighed. "Those are all useless titles. They really don't mean anything. Besides, it's not true. You do belong to a group." Sensing her confusion, Bao finished his thought. "You belong with us and we belong with you." The crew of the Ebon Hawk. Over the past few months, the motley crew had become a family. A strange family, but a family nonetheless.

Meetra smiled a bit - she loved all of them - even Kreia. "Atton was wrong," Bao said softly. "I know you care about all of us and we care about you. I don't think he meant what he said though. I could feel the pain rolling off him as he said it."

_Bao could feel Atton's pain?_ That sounded like...

"We all lash out when we're hurt," he continued. "Especially when we've been hurt by someone we love." The last statement fell heavy on Meetra's ears. Love? The notion that Atton loved her had never crossed her mind. She assumed he only wanted to bed her and the affection was one-sided, a silly attachment she had formed to the pilot. "Give him some time."

Bao patted her on the back once more before pushing himself off the bed. As he turned to leave, Meetra stopped him. "Bao, you said you could feel Atton's pain?"

"Yours too," he nodded. "That's why I was outside your door. I was coming to check on you when," he paused. Meetra simply nodded, knowing what he was referring to.

"How would you feel about being trained in the Force?"


	18. Chapter 18 - Weathering the Storm

Atton and Meetra were at a stalemate.

Neither spoke to the other. Wanting to wait until he was ready, Meetra had avoided Atton. Knowing he couldn't speak to her without cutting her more deeply than he already had, Atton avoided Meetra. Although hurt and angry, he secretly loved her and couldn't stand the thought of wounding Meetra further.

Everyone on board felt the tension between the two. After several days of walking on eggshells, Mira couldn't take it any longer. Figuring Atton had said something insensitive as all men in her experience did, she bounded to the cockpit, whipping the door open without knocking.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Mira questioned in a loud voice.

"Hello to you too," Atton ignored her question.

"Spill, nerfherder."

"Nothing," Atton barked. "Maybe you should be asking her this question? Ever think of that, red?"

"What are you talking about?" Mira narrowed her eyes. The idea that Meetra could've hurt Atton never crossed her mind until now.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Look," Mira ran her fingers through her short fiery locks. "I haven't known you too long, but I've seen you watch her meditate with the old woman and Goldilocks. It's painfully obvious that you're in love with her. Maybe you should just be a man and, _oh_, I don't know, _tell her,_" she said sarcastically.

Finally gaining his full attention, Atton turned to face Mira. The bounty hunter's green eyes glared into his hazel ones. "What would you know about that?" he furrowed his brow.

"I've been around the block a few times," Mira sighed. "A helluva lot more times than you have, I can guarantee it. I know love when I see it."

Atton's expression softened. As strange as it sounded, he felt a sense of comradery with Mira. The bonding moment was interrupted by the sound of the cockpit door opening once more.

"Does _anyone_ around here knock?" Atton murmured as Kreia walked through the door. Meetra wasn't far behind. As she walked through the threshold, her sorrowful eyes connected with the pilot's for a moment before she shifted her gaze to the floor.

"We're near Onderon, are we not?" Kreia asked. Atton looked out the cockpit's window. As ridiculous as it sounded, he hadn't noticed the beige planet or the cluster of ships the Ebon Hawk was fast approaching.

"What the hell's going on?" Atton mumbled.

Almost as if someone off ship had heard his question, the com-link began beeping. Still focusing on the traffic ahead, Atton slapped a button on his console, allowing a stern voice to ring through the speakers of the cockpit. "The Ebon Hawk. I was told to expect you. You're earlier than I expected," the voice trailed for a moment before continuing. "I am Colonel Tobin of General Vaklu's fleet. I command you to surrender."

"_Oh yeah_?" Atton responded. "You and what army?"

The moment the words left his lips, a flash of green streaked toward the Ebon Hawk's cockpit window. Atton pressed down on the accelerator with all his strength while turning the steering port, narrowly avoiding the bolt. The Ebon Hawk was under attack. "Hold on!" he yelled as Meetra, Kreia and Mira tumbled around the Hawk's cockpit.

Managing to find her balance, Meetra grabbed the back of Atton's seat and stood. "There," she pointed out the window toward a small green moon. Turning to look in the direction of her finger, Atton nodded and began weaving through the traffic while avoiding the incoming fire. Finally, he saw a break in their defenses and broke for the moon.

As they approached, Atton noticed a small clearing. It would be a tight squeeze to put the Hawk down, but it was their only option. He nestled the Ebon Hawk between the trees and powered down the ship. "Pure pazaak," he smiled and leaned back in his seat before turning and seeing Meetra. The two searched each other's eyes for a moment before he looked away, the smile vanishing from his lips. The faint smell of smoke filled his nostrils.

Atton stood to look out the side cockpit window. One of the Ebon Hawk's engines was covered in billowing black smoke. "_Frack_," he swore beneath his breath before rushing outside to assess the damage.

Meetra and Mira followed close behind. The pilot waved smoke away from his face as he inspected the engine. "Well, looks like we took a bit of damage," he sighed. "Normally this wouldn't be all that bad, but since we don't have any parts, this'll take a while to repair."

"Where are we?" Mira asked as she looked around. The humidity was overbearing. The low rumble of thunder sounded out. Heavy rain soaked their bodies.

"Dxun," Meetra answered quietly. She knew this place all too well - her first battle with Revan and Alek had taken place on this planet. This was the first place someone died to save her. Biting her lip, she shook her head to rid her mind of the painful memories dancing through her mind.

"Look, I don't care where we are, I just know we've gotta get this ship up and running fast. I don't think that Tobin guy is going to just let us sit here forever," Atton stated as he took off his now-soaked ribbed jacket and rolled up his sleeves, still assessing the damage. "I should see if Bao has any tools…"

"We were brought here for a reason and the Force never makes mistakes," Kreia carefully edged down the slick ramp. "We should explore and find out why." Knowing the old woman was right, Meetra walked back into the ship and readied herself for the upcoming exploration. After a few moments, she asked Visas and Mical to join her.

As she stepped off the ramp, she heard Atton call her name. She turned to see him walking down the ramp, arm outstretched. "You forgot this," he said quietly as he displayed the com-link in his palm. "I'll keep you updated on the Ebon Hawk's progress. Let me know if you find any parts we can use. I get the feeling we're not the first ship to crash on this moon."

It took a moment for Meetra to process all he had said. Seeing his wet white shirt clinging to his skin was impossibly attractive. Finally, Meetra nodded and took the com-link from his hand - as she did so, the skin of their hands brushed. The sensation of their skin touching for the first time since that fateful night forced them to look deep into each other's eyes They stood on the ramp in silence, taking in the sadness in the other's eyes, letting the rain wash over them.

"Atton, I -"

"Meetra, look -"

Both began speaking at the same time and stopped abruptly. "Me first," Meetra held up her hand as she took a deep breath. "About the other night, I can explain. I had a visio-"

"Meetra, are you coming?" Mical's voice interrupted as he turned the corner leading to the ramp. "My apologies. Am I interrupting something?" he asked, genuinely sorry for his intrusion.

"No, no," Meetra smiled weakly. "Atton and I were just finishing up." As Mical walked down the ramp past the two, Meetra paused for a moment to look at Atton once more. "Can we finish this conversation later?" Atton merely nodded as Meetra walked down the ramp and disappeared into the thick jungle.

oo-oo

Atton's eyes burned.

He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, but it didn't help. The combination of sweat and grease streamed into his eyes, courtesy of the rain that hadn't stopped falling since they arrived on the moon. Looking up, Atton searched the grey skies above him for some sort of relief - there wasn't a break in the cloud cover in sight.

Choking back an annoyed laugh, he stopped working on the Ebon Hawk's downed engine and took a seat on the muddy ground. He dropped the mining torch in his hand - the only tool he could find on the ship - and picked up the com-link. It was the same as it had been when he checked it 20 minutes before. No new messages or incoming calls. Atton sighed before tossing it on the ground a meter or so away.

A week had passed since he last heard from Meetra - he was beginning to worry. He had been ever since he explored the jungle near the ship yesterday. Much to his dismay, he'd spotted the remnants of an old Mandalorian helmet pushed into the soft soil. Atton knew where there was one Mandalorian, there was bound to be many more. Jedi weren't exactly popular with the Mandalorians, much less one as well-known in the Mandalorian Wars as Meetra. According to a Mandalorian mercenary Atton once played pazaak with, the name 'Meetra Surik' had become infamous in the Mandalorian community.

The thought of her being in some sort of trouble was terrifying. He wanted nothing more than to talk to her. To hear her voice. To make sure she was safe.

Atton scoured the sack next to him, pushing aside his blaster and lightsaber to grab a duro fruit. He bit into the small blue fruit and cringed. It was bitter but he gulped it down. He had eaten nothing but duro fruit for the past three days. Since the Ebon Hawk hadn't landed at an actual port, they hadn't had an opportunity to buy food. Their stockpiles were running low, so the crew had foraged the area for food. The duros were the only edible fruits in the area, so the crew made due. Atton tried to convince himself he would get used to the taste, but knew it was a lie.

A flashing green light caught Atton's eye. Thankful to have a distraction from the horrible taste in his mouth, he glanced in the direction of the light - the com-link. Atton threw the fruit to the side - he wasn't going to finish it anyways - and dove for the small piece of machinery.

"Meetra?" he asked quickly, cringing at how excited he sounded. "_Real smooth, Rand_," he muttered to himself once he released the speaker button.

A static-filled voice responded. "Atton?"

He couldn't help but frown. "What is it, Visas?"

"The Exile has found passage to Onderon with the Mandalorians. There is only room for three in the transport, so I am returning with a Mandalorian guide. Meetra wanted me to alert you and the others so you are not alarmed."

Atton swore beneath his breath - Meetra wouldn't be back for a while longer. "Thanks for the update, Visas," Atton tried to hide the disappointment in his voice. "If you can, bring back some food, will ya?"

"As you wish." After a few moments of static, the com-link went silent.

Atton stared at the com-link for a few moments, hoping for another call, but it didn't come. A feeling of disappointment flooded over him. As strange as it sounded, he wished the Disciple was coming back to the Ebon Hawk, not Visas. The thought of Mical spending time with Meetra on a dangerous mission sent his mind to the races - he knew all too well how _things_ could happen when emotions were running high.

A vision of Mical and Meetra hopelessly locked in a passionate kiss raced through his mind. He clenched his fists. It wasn't real, but the thought made his stomach churn. The thought of Meetra in another man's arms was more than he could bear. At that moment, he decided he wouldn't leave her side no matter what. It would take a lot more than a fight to make him leave the woman he loved.

A loud hiss screeched from the engine, quickly followed by a louder pop, bringing Atton's attention back to the present. "Damn engine," Atton muttered as he grabbed his one and only tool, stood up and attempted to fix the Ebon Hawk's engine once more.


	19. Chapter 19 - The Woman of Onderon

"That's a nasty bruise you've got there. Mind if I take a look?"

Meetra spun around, looking to find the source of the voice. The masses of people walking to and fro made finding exactly who had spoken difficult.

"Over here," a woman seated on the ground waved at Meetra. The woman had long, beautiful raven colored hair and impossibly clear emerald green eyes. Her complexion was fair and blemish free, save for the slightly browned areas on the tip of her nose and on her high cheekbones from sitting in the sun too long. Despite being quite thin, Meetra could tell she was athletic and strong. Although her lips were thin and her nose was longer than the average woman's her face was pleasing to the eye. An unconventional beauty. "I used to run an apothecary. I might be able to help you out with that," she motioned to Meetra's right eye.

Meetra glanced at her newest companion, Mandalore - she couldn't read his expression due to the cover of his distinctly Mandalorian helmet, but could tell he was focused on the woman. Mical was far behind, still inspecting a merchant's book stocks. Figuring this would give him an opportunity to catch up, Meetra made her way to the woman. She motioned for Mandalore to join her, but he ignored her, keeping his gaze fixed upon the woman.

Ducking beneath the tent-like structure the woman was sitting under, Meetra sat down across from her on a woven rug. Two young children were huddled in the corner. The girl looked slightly older than the boy, but neither could be over the age of 7. Sensing their nervousness, Meetra smiled wide at the two to put them at ease - the boy flashed a sheepish smile and waved back before the girl pinched him, reminding him they weren't supposed to talk to strangers.

"Astridia, _please_ don't pinch your brother. Tahl," she paused before smiling. "Stop being such a little flirt." Shaking her head slightly, she turned to Meetra. "He reminds me so much of my brother sometimes. Sorry about all that. You know how it is raising little ones." Meetra nodded and agreed with the woman despite not having the slightest clue what motherhood was like. "That looks worse than I thought," the woman said as she moved her hand to graze the bruise covering Meetra's eye.

The bruise was massive, a sickening mixture of purple, blue and green. It had swelled considerably - the wound looked as if Meetra had pumped it full of air so it would rise off her face. With narrowed eyes, the woman gently poked the bruise once more before turning to pour a greenish liquid into a shallow plasteel bowl, stirring it with a cloth.

"This might sting a bit," she warned Meetra before dabbing the saturated cloth around her eye. The woman was right. It did sting. A lot. However, after a moment of discomfort, Meetra felt a cooling sensation. For the first time since receiving the contusion, she felt relief.

"Thank you."

"No problem," the woman smiled, turning to put the bowl back in its original place. "Mind my asking how that ended up on your face? Looks like someone hit you pretty hard. My husband always said a man should never hit a woman. _Force_, I miss him," her voice trailed. Her eyes were looking beyond Meetra. Beyond the tent. She feigned a smile before looking back at Meetra. "So?"

"Oh, well, uh -" Meetra wasn't sure if telling the kind stranger exactly how she had received the bruise was wise, but since the woman had been so gracious, she figured an honest answer was in order. Besides, she had a good feeling about her. Something about this woman seemed familiar. "I got it in a battle circle challenge in the Mandalorian camp on Dxun."

"_Wow," _her green eyes widened. "Didn't see that one coming," she chuckled. "Guess I can't complain when the little ones come home with little knicks and bruises anymore. At least they're not fighting warriors," she flashed a warm smile in Meetra's direction. "Doesn't your boyfriend mind when you do crazy stuff like that? Jase would've killed me if I'd pulled a stunt like that."

"I uh - I don't have a boyfr-," Meetra stammered. "Well, I mean, I - we - he - it's-it's complicated." The woman looked at Meetra, her face filled with confusion and sympathy.

"No need to explain. I understand, sweetie." Meetra was grateful that the woman didn't press the issue.

"I should pay you for your time." Meetra reached into her sack, searching for her credit fold. The woman shook her head.

"Put that away," she waved her hand. "Keep your credits. I do this because I love it. My husband and I used to run an apothecary, you know. Our shop was the go-to place for lots of people here in Iziz. We didn't charge much - just enough for us to get by. My husband was popular with everyone. He was actually elected to city council without even running," she laughed. "That's Jase for you."

"Where is he now?"

"Oh. Well, as they say, all good things must come to an end. The city council was corrupt. Not sure if you've noticed, but everyone is on edge around here. You either support Queen Talia or General Vaklu. There is no in middle ground. Jase happened to agree with the queen. He was on his way to a meeting with her when," she stopped.

With eyes filled with tears, the woman wrinkled her nose and cleared her throat before continuing on. "He was ambushed not too far from here. Vaklu said it was the work of common street thugs and beast riders looking for some quick credits, but I knew it wasn't true. Wife's intuition. Captain Rikken agreed with me, but no one listened. I tried to get to the bottom of Jase's murder myself, but that got me into more trouble. I came home one night to find our house and the apothecary on fire. I grabbed what I could and made sure the kids were out, but I lost everything. I've been trying to figure out a way off this planet for the past year or so - maybe head back to Alderaan for the kid's safety - but all these restrictions are making it damn near impossible."

A feeling of extreme compassion overwhelmed Meetra - she wanted to help the kind stranger.

"I'm going to help you, Astridia and Tahl get off this planet," she promised. "By the way, I'm Meetra."

"Gemma. My name's Gemma."

A/N - Hope you're enjoying so far! I decided to leave this chapter on a bit of a cliffhanger,_ but_ if you absolutely can't wait and/or need some clarification as to why Gemma's important, look over Chapter 11 - Second Firsts. Thanks for reading!


	20. Chapter 20 - Sacrifice

"G-Gemma? From-from Alderaan?" Meetra repeated in disbelief as she took a moment to take a closer look at the woman. She hadn't noticed before, but Gemma's facial structure was eerily similar to a certain cocky pilot she knew...

"Yes," Gemma narrowed her eyes, slowly nodding her head, bewildered by Meetra's strange reaction to her name.

Hearing the children rustling in the background, Meetra shifted her gaze to Tahl. His shoulder length hair was the same raven shade as his mother's. It was pulled back, save for a stubborn strand of fringe that fell into his eyes. As Meetra studied Tahl, Astridia moved to stand in front of her brother, looked at Meetra and smiled. The girl's eyes were hazel. "Her eyes," Meetra said softly. "They're beautiful."

"Oh, thank you! Say 'thank you,' Dia," Gemma instructed her daughter. "Dia's her nickname, by the way. The hazel eyes come from my side of the family. I'm the only one in the family who doesn't have them, but I guess they carried over somehow. Old Rand trait I suppose."

"_Rand_," Meetra repeated under her breath.

"Is something wrong?" Gemma tilted her head in confusion.

"N-no," Meetra shook her head. "I'm sorry. You just remind me of someone. I'm going to get you off this planet, but before I get you back to Alderaan, would you mind coming to my ship with me? I know someone who I think you should speak with."

"Sweetie, if you can get us off this planet, I'll talk to whoever you want me to."

Unable to contain the silly grin spreading across her face, Meetra rose to leave the makeshift tent. "I'll be back tonight. I'm going to get you a visa. Thanks again for this," she said, motioning to her bruise. It already looked better.

oo-oo

The meeting with Kavar did not go as planned. To Meetra's surprise, her former master was pleased to see her, going as far as greeting her with a hug. Their reunion was cut short when Vaklu's men attacked. Kavar ran back to the palace to protect Queen Talia, leaving Meetra, Mical and Mandalore to fight Vaklu's men in the cantina.

After killing their assailants, Meetra noticed a small white card poking out of one of the men's pocket. She knelt to inspect the card - it bore the image of a woman, definitely not the salt and pepper haired man in whose possession she found it. In the corner of the card, Meetra saw the words she'd been searching for all day - 'Iziz Starport Visa'.

Without another thought, Meetra took the visa and began running to Gemma's tent. After several minutes, she arrived - Gemma slept on the uneven stone ground while her two children slept soundly on tattered floor pillows.

"Gemma," Meetra shook her. "Gemma, get up. We've got to get out of here."

After a moment, Gemma opened one eye. "Meetra?" she asked in a groggy voice. "It's the middle of the night."

"I know. I can explain later, but right now, we need to go," Meetra said as she glanced over her shoulder - the sound of Vaklu's men was growing closer. "Here," she handed Gemma the visa. "Let's go."

Although she didn't understand what was happening, she sensed the anxiety in Meetra's voice. Gemma woke Dia and scooped a still sleeping Tahl into her arms. With Mical and Mandalore following close behind, Meetra grabbed the young girl's hand and began running.

A blaster bolt whizzed by Meetra's face, nearly grazing her cheekbone. Before she could draw her lightsaber, another bolt shot out from behind her, connecting with the man who had fired at her square in the chest. "This is too easy," Mandalore chuckled as patted his blaster rifle.

As the group ran through the curved alleys of Iziz, a mob appeared in the near distance. "That's her! Get her," the leader of the pack yelled before they charged. Meetra stepped forward and knocked the charging men flat on their backs with a well-timed Force wave before the group continued their path to freedom.

Finally, their sprint through the streets was nearing an end. Their transport - a Basilisk war droid - was in sight. The security guards were too busy to check their visas - their attention was captured by three full-grown bomas that had escaped their beast riders and were running amuck in the streets. Meetra thanked the Force for their stroke of luck, but the luck didn't last long.

The sound of a woman crying out in pain, quickly followed by the cries of a child caught Meetra's attention. Looking over her shoulder in the direction of the screams, Meetra saw Gemma and Tahl on the ground. "Here," she shoved Astridia's tiny hand into Mandalore's before running to the mother and child.

Tahl's knees were bloodied - his mother must have dropped him when she fell. Before Meetra could ask the boy if he was alright, Mical came from behind, scooped him into his arms and kept running toward the ship. "Gemma, are you -" her question was cut off by a blaster bolt striking the ground mere inches from her foot. Meetra drew her silver and cyan lightsabers - she had to protect Gemma.

Three men clad in armor ran toward Meetra, firing blaster rifles as they went. Meetra deflected their bolts expertly as she ran to meet the assailants in the center of the courtyard. They were unprepared for her vicious attack - Meetra channeled the frustration that had been building since her vision of Atton's death into the attack, eliminating the men handily before running back to a still incapacitated Gemma.

The Alderaanian was laying in a pool of her own blood. Meetra knelt down to inspect the problem - a bolt had connected with the back of Gemma's knee and had exited through her kneecap, leaving blood and shattered bone fragments in its wake.

"Leave me," Gemma begged between sobs. "Get the kids out of here." Just when the situation seemed most dire, one of the loose bomas knocked over a lantern, igniting a nearby building. Iziz's dry and windy climate allowed for the fire to spread quickly - within a few seconds, half the plaza was ablaze. "Go!" Gemma cried.

"I'm not leaving without you," she shook her head. Mustering all the strength left in her being, Meetra lifted the woman onto her feet before wrapping Gemma's arm around her neck, taking on the majority of her weight. Moving as fast as Gemma's condition would permit, she and Meetra made their way to the ship.

After what seemed like an eternity, they arrived - Mandalore had already placed the children in the Basilisk and was working at the controls. "Put her in the front," he ordered Meetra.

The Disciple came to Meetra's aid, helping her as she carefully hoisted Gemma into the seat. Once Meetra placed Gemma in the front, her heart sank. There were only three seats. When she promised Gemma and her children passage, she had counted on being able to make multiple trips.

Mandalore was the only one who knew how to pilot the cruiser, so he was on board no matter what. Gemma was already secured in her seat. The children were small enough for one to fit on the bit of floor space between the single backseat and the two front seats. The other child would sit on the lap of whomever took the last seat.

"Go," Meetra said to Mical.

"No," he shook his head. "I'm staying here."

"Mical, I said get in!" Meetra screamed at him.

"No. I'm staying," he replied, his voice oddly calm given the nature of the situation. "You'll be back soon enough. Besides, I am first and foremost a servant of the Republic and this planet is in dire need of Republic support."

"I can't let you do this," Meetra shook her head. Anyone with half a brain could see through his guise - he was trying to protect her.

"Meetra, please," he pleaded. "Leave. As a gift to me."

Torn between listening to him and arguing more, Meetra stood in silence as she stared at him. "Let's go!" Mandalore yelled as the engines of the cruiser roared to life. The sound of blaster fire was edging closer.

"Go," Mical smiled. "It's going to be alright."

Despite having no promise of her affections, he was sacrificing himself for her. It was more than Meetra could handle. Before she could stop herself, Meetra closed the distance between the two and thanked him the only way she knew would convey just how grateful she was. Her body crashed into his as she grasped his cheeks and kissed him. After a moment of shock, his lips molded to her own.

"Let's go!" Mandalore repeated himself. Meetra pulled away from Mical's lips.

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear before planting a light kiss on his cheek. The Basilisk was already rising into the sky, so Meetra used the Force to boost her jump into the backseat. Once seated, she grabbed Astridia, positioning the girl on her lap, and stroked Tahl's tear-stained cheek as he sat on the floor.

Mandalore lifted the Basilisk higher and higher off the ground before accelerating, leaving Mical on Onderon as the planet slipped into a civil war.


	21. Chapter 21 - Together Again

"How the hell is it still raining?" Atton griped as he tightened the final screw of the Ebon Hawk's downed engine with his fingers. Once it was as tight as can be, Atton stepped back, biting his nail in pain, to inspect his work. It was finally done - he had fixed the ship.

The burst of pride in himself was quickly interrupted by the sound of a twig snapping behind him. In a swift move, Atton spun around and drew his blaster, readying himself to fight whatever beast bounded out of the jungle. Boma? Cannok? Maybe a maalraas? Instead, he saw Meetra step out of the brush, a small, dark-haired boy clutching her hand.

His stomach did a backflip at the sight of her. The moment he made eye contact, he didn't care if he seemed over eager - he needed to be close to her. Running as fast as his legs and the slick muddy ground would permit, Atton sprinted toward Meetra.

Meetra wanted to run into his arms, but was restrained by Tahl. Wanting to show him just how excited she was to see him, she smiled as wide as her lips would allow - her eyes welled with tears of joy involuntarily.

Finally, their bodies connected. Atton wrapped his arms around Meetra, nearly knocking her over and held her as close as he could - Meetra hugged him back with her free arm.

Before Atton could stop himself, placed his hands on either side of her face and kissed Meetra. It was the first kiss the two had shared since their fight. Despite her shock, Meetra wanted to keep going - it felt so right - but a squeeze of her hand brought her back to reality. Gently pushing Atton back a bit, she cleared her throat. "Atton, I'd like you to meet Tahl."

The tips of Atton's ears turned red as they always did when he was embarrassed - he'd been so excited by the sight of Meetra, he'd forgotten there was even a child in their presence. After mouthing, "_sorry_" at Meetra, he knelt down to be eye-to-eye with the little stranger clutching her hand.

"Tahl is it?" Atton smiled. "I'm Atton. Atton Rand. Pleased to meet you," he extended his hand to the boy to shake it. Tahl looked up at Meetra for assurance who nodded before flashing a huge smile at Atton. Several of his teeth were missing - one had fallen out just that morning. The boy took Atton's hand and shook it with all his strength.

"Wow. That's quite a grip you've got there," Atton chuckled. "How old are you, little man?" Tahl put his hand near Atton's face, displaying all five fingers. "Five? You're practically an adult!"

Bursting with excitement, Tahl nodded, then pointed at Meetra with his free hand. "That's my girlfriend," he stated with pride, earning a warm smile out of Meetra and a laugh from Atton. "She's pretty, right?"

Atton looked up at Meetra who was staring back at him. "Yeah. She's very pretty," he said in a soft, sweet tone that made Meetra blush. "You better treat her right, otherwise I'll have to steal her away from you," Atton smirked at Tahl who frowned at the thought.

Ruffling Tahl's hair, Atton pushed himself off the ground to stand tall. "So, uh, what's with the kid?" he whispered.

"We rescued his family from Onderon," she whispered back.

"I can see that, sweets," Atton laughed before he lowered his voice once more so their conversation would slip past Tahl's ears. "I was kind of wondering why. We've passed lots of families we didn't pick up. Why this one?"

Instead of answering, Meetra looked over her shoulder. As if on cue, Mandalore, Astridia and Gemma emerged from the thick. Dia had stolen Mandalore's helmet and was wearing it on her own head. The Mandalorian leader held her hand, trying to hide the silly grin on his face. With his other hand, he supported Gemma, who was using crutches to carry the majority of her weight.

Meetra looked back at Atton - he was standing in complete silence, staring directly at Gemma in disbelief. After a moment, he peeled his eyes away from his sister and looked at Meetra who simply nodded, wordlessly confirming his suspicions. As he turned his eyes back to his sister, Gemma looked up.

"Jaq? Jaq is that you?!"

The pilot ran to his sister, nearly slipping on a slick patch of mud. Ignoring the crutches, he scooped her into his arms, hugging her almost as tight as he had Meetra moments before. The pain Gemma had been feeling moments before was forgotten as Atton lifted her into the air, spinning his sister as he hugged her.

"I thought you'd died," Gemma cried as he lowered her to the ground. "I can't believe it's actually you," she whispered, touching his face.

As Atton looked at his sister, he noticed the leg brace. "What happened to you? Are you ok?"

"She saved me," Gemma motioned for Meetra to come closer. Hesitant to intrude on the family moment, Meetra slowly walked over, fulfilling Gemma's request. "I would've lost a lot more than my knee if it weren't for this beautiful, incredible, amazing woman," she smiled warmly at Meetra.

With glassy eyes, Atton turned his gaze to Meetra. Barely able to speak, he mouthed, "thank you," at Meetra, who nodded in return. A crack of thunder overhead reminded Atton of the trouble looming in the skies. "We should get you inside, crip," he smiled at his sister.

"Shut up," she laughed. "Just think Jaq, now we'll both have a nasty scar on our left knees. Even though mine isn't from a wookiee," she joked.

The comment made Atton's ears and cheeks turn red. Meetra opened her mouth slightly in confusion, remembering the boy in the river from so many years ago. Could it be?

"Let's get you inside, Gem," Atton picked up his sister once more to carry her into the Ebon Hawk. Meetra grabbed the fallen crutches before following behind the reunited siblings.

oo-oo

Several hours passed. In that time, Atton had been formally introduced to his niece and nephew - although he didn't believe in love at first sight, he made an exception when it came to those two. He was also introduced to Mandalore.

Mandalore kept coming into the cockpit, asking Gemma how she was doing, asking if she needed anything, even asking if the temperature in the ship was to her liking. It would've annoyed Atton if he hadn't been so incredibly happy. Besides, Gemma didn't seem to mind and smiled each time she saw him.

As Gemma and Atton tried to catch up on the lost years, the children grew restless. The days of traveling with little to no play had gotten to them. Since Gemma was in no condition to run around, Atton jumped at the opportunity to bond with his sister's children. He helped her to the ramp of the Ebon Hawk so she could watch the three of them play.

Gemma caught sight of Meetra walking away from adjusting her lightsaber's crystal. "Meetra, come over here, will you, sweetie?"

Placing her lightsaber back on the workbench for safe keeping, Meetra smiled as she walked toward Gemma. She was glad to have Gemma and the children on board. Their presence breathed a new life into the tired crew. Visas had carried Tahl around the ship on her shoulders as he swashbuckled with Bao-Dur, who built faux lightsabers for them to play with. Mira had braided Astridia's long hair and allowed the girl to play with her short red locks. The only non-droid member of the crew who didn't seem to be in lighter spirits was Kreia. However, Meetra swore she saw the semblance of a smile cross the old woman's wrinkled lips when Tahl offered her a flower.

Meetra took a seat on the ramp near Gemma, who was seated on a stool Mandalore had found for her. The two women looked out and watched Atton play with the children.

"He's great with kids," Meetra smiled.

"He sure is," Gemma nodded. "Not a doubt in my mind he'll make a great dad one day."

"_If he stays with me, that day might never come_," Meetra thought as she let a soft sigh pass her lips. Hearing the sigh, Gemma looked at her savior with a smile - she had misinterpreted the sigh and felt the need to say something.

"You know, he seems to care for you quite a bit." A heat rose into Meetra's cheeks as Gemma went on. "I swear, half of our conversations came back to you. 'Meetra this' and 'Meetra that'. I've never seen Jaq - or Atton, excuse me - like this. If you're a gambling woman, I'd say it'd be a pretty safe bet to wager your credits on the fact that he loves you."

The heat on Meetra's face intensified. A knot formed in her stomach. Taking a deep breath to collect herself, she looked out once more and saw Atton lying on his belly in the mud, allowing Dia to climb on top of him. He laughed loudly as Tahl joined his sister on his back before the two began tickling their uncle. A faint smile finding its way to her face, Meetra rested her head against the wall of the Ebon Hawk.

"I think it's safe to say you feel the same," Gemma said softly. With wide eyes, Meetra turned to look at Gemma. At this point, her face must've been a shade of purple. "Meetra," she laughed. "Loving someone is nothing to be ashamed of. Especially when they love you back."

"It's just -"

"You're scared," Gemma interrupted. "Believe me, I understand. When I married Jase, I was terrified."

"How did you know you loved him?" Meetra asked quietly.

"He made me feel weak at the knees," the raven haired woman smiled. "When I looked into his eyes, I saw a future. I knew that no matter what happened, no matter how rough things got, I wanted to be with him. I wanted to be his and I wanted him to be mine. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't always perfect. We had our rough patches and fights, but if anything, it made us stronger. It showed he cared."

Meetra looked back out at Atton - he was sitting on the ground, allowing his niece to place a flower behind his ear. Atton and Meetra's eyes connected - she smiled sheepishly when he winked at her before returning his concentration to his niece.

"You should tell him how you feel," Gemma urged her after witnessing the exchange. "I haven't been around you too long, but I've never seen two people more perfect for each other."

With a half-smile on her face, Meetra stood to hug Gemma who was still seated comfortably on her stool. "Go on," she whispered to Meetra. Without a moment's hesitation, Meetra ran down the ramp and began to play with Atton and the children. Her mind was made up - she was going to tell him how she felt as soon as she could.


	22. Chapter 22 - The Dance

Three days passed. As much as she and the crew didn't want to leave, Meetra knew they had to set a course for Korriban to find Master Vash.

Instead of fulfilling her original plans of returning to Alderaan, Gemma decided to stay on Dxun for the time being at the Mandalorian camp. Mandalore - who revealed his name to be Canderous Ordo - offered Gemma and her children use of his personal compound for as long as they wanted. The Mandalorian leader also promised around the clock protection and full access to all of the camp's medical supplies to both entertain and heal Gemma.

As Meetra said her goodbye to Gemma, Atton noticed Mandalore keeping a close eye on his sister. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you had a thing for my sister," he teased the Mandalorian.

"You're one to talk, lover boy," Mandalore spat back. In the few short days he'd been around the crew, he'd noticed Atton's stolen glances at the Exile. After looking at each other, then back to the women, they called a wordless truce. Minutes later, the three headed back to the Ebon Hawk to begin their journey to Korriban.

oo-oo

The dull hum of the engine was calming as Meetra sat on her bed, wondering how Mical was doing. A week had passed since she left him behind on Onderon - a week since she kissed him. Although she tried to stay positive, holding out hope he was still alive was difficult - the odds were stacked against him. A sigh passed her lips as she rested her head on her knees that were pressed tightly against her chest.

A light knock rapped at her door.

"Come in," she said softly, wondering who else was awake at this hour.

After a moment of hesitation, the door crept open before Atton poked his head into the room. "Not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No, come on in," Meetra welcomed Atton, trying to hide her nervousness as he stepped inside the room and closed the door. This was the first time the two had been alone together since her return from Onderon.

"I uh, I wanted to thank you again for bringing Gemma back," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't think you'll ever know how much it means to me."

"Glad I could help," she smiled warmly as a silence fell over the room.

"May I?" Atton motioned to the edge of her bed, seeking her permission to take a seat.

"When did you become such a gentleman, flyboy?" Meetra teased.

"Always have been," he shrugged as he sat on the foot of her bed. "I told you my parents were well-off. Little known Atton fact: I had to go to finishing school."

"_No_," Meetra's eyes widened in disbelief as she lifted her head from the cradle of her knees. "You were one of _those_ kids?" Once Atton nodded, she burst into laughter - laughter he quickly joined in on.

"_What_," Atton stated sarcastically, "you can't imagine me at a grand ball on Alderaan or Coruscant, a lovely little princess lightly grasping my hand?"

"Not really," she shook her head, still laughing heartily.

"Then let me show you," he smiled. Pushing himself off the bed, Atton stood and clicked the heels of his worn boots together for effect before extending his hand to her. "_This is the part where you take my hand_," he whispered out of the side of his mouth.

A smirk found its way to Meetra's face before she placed her hand in his as daintily as she could. "Now stand up," he enclosed his slender fingers around her hand. Once she stood, he walked her to the middle of the room before reaching for her other hand. "This hand here," he placed one of her hands on his shoulder before having her extend the other out, holding an imaginary train of a fancy gown Meetra had only seen in holovids.

"My hand goes around your waist," he mumbled to himself, trying to remember what he had learned as a boy. He raised his free hand to be level with his shoulder before recognizing his error. "That's it! Drop the dress, grab my hand," he corrected himself. Shaking her head, Meetra laughed as she placed her hand in his.

"There we go," Atton exclaimed, a hint of pride in his voice. "Still got it."

"So do we just stand here or is something supposed to happen with our feet?"

"Way ahead of you," he answered. "Just follow my lead."

He gently pushed her back - she took a step backwards, his foot filling the space where hers had been. "There you go," Atton smiled as he moved to the left, backwards and to the right. "Now we spin a little," he said as he began to turn, the basic footwork of the dance remaining the same.

"Dammit, sorry," Meetra apologized as she stepped on his toes, earning a laugh out of Atton. The footwork of combat had always come naturally to her, but dancing was more of a challenge than she would have anticipated.

The dance continued for several minutes. Finally confident enough in her ability to remember the footwork, Meetra looked up at Atton - he was already watching her. Gazing into one another's eyes, the two began to slow down before stopping altogether. They stood, still holding each other in the same position, neither saying a word.

The heat in the room was palpable. Meetra couldn't stand it any longer - she pressed her lips against his, kissing him with all the force in her body. Not quite prepared for the kiss, Atton's back slammed into the wall with a loud thud.

As the two kissed, Meetra pulled him away from the wall to strip away his jacket, allowing it to fall to the floor. After Atton kicked the jacket to the side, she frantically unbuttoned his shirt, not daring to remove her lips from his. She managed to get the shirt off, ripping it slightly in the process, though neither cared. Now shirtless, Meetra ran her hands along his bare chest, taking in every inch with her fingertips.

After a moment, Meetra slid his hands up her shirt before moving her mouth beneath his jaw, gently nibbling at the most sensitive part of his neck. "_Frack_," Atton swore beneath his breath with pleasure.

Wanting to up the ante, Meetra moved her lips back to his, but moved her hands to unbuckle his pants. Seeing she wasn't making progress, Atton moved his hands to fiddle with his metal contraption as well. Still, it wouldn't budge. They both laughed a little, partly because the situation was humorous, but mostly out of frustration.

"I don't think this is going to happen," Meetra whispered as she continued her quest to loosen his rigged together pant buckle. Sensing his disappointment, she slid her hand down his pants, grazing him with her fingertips before retreating, running her fingers along the faint line on his abdomen separating his muscle. "Next time," she smiled.

Inspite of the buzzkill that was the pesky buckle, Atton moved to lift Meetra's tunic, but she shook her head. "Atton, I need to talk to you."

"Sweets, can it wait?" Atton mumbled as he kissed her neck, his voice full of longing.

As silly as it sounded, hearing him call her sweets for the first time since their fight was exhilarating, but she needed to concentrate. "Not really," she said softly as she moved her hand to touch his cheek. Her tone alerted him it was serious, so he pulled away from her neck to look into her eyes. "Atton, about before -"

He held up his hand. "What's done is done."

"No," she reached for his hand, lowering it. "Let me explain." Wrapping her arms around his torso, Meetra rested her cheek against his chest as he moved his hand to stroke her back. "That night I had a vision." Not quite knowing how to go on, she paused for a moment.

"Is that it?"

"No," she said softly as she looked up at him. "I had a vision that you died." Immediately, he stopped rubbing her back and looked straight forward. "That's why I told you to leave. I don't want you to die. I-I'm not sure I could go on living if you weren't."

Atton resumed rubbing her back, but didn't say a word.

"Atton?"

"Yeah sweets," he paused for a moment before continuing. "You see, the thing is, _I_ couldn't go on if I wasn't by your side. I'm willing to take a gamble with death if it means I get to stay with you."

The simple statement took Meetra by surprise - she stepped back to get a better look at him. The left corner of his lips quirked into a half smile. A love she never even thought was possible surged through her. She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him once more. After one last soft kiss, she pulled back just far enough for her lips to brush against his as she spoke. This was it. "Atton, there's something else I wanted to tell you. I've been meaning to tell you this for a while, but I l-"

"Exile?" Kreia's voice sounded out on the other side of the door, breaking Meetra's concentration.

"Ignore her, she'll go away," Atton assured Meetra. "What were you saying?"

Before Meetra had a chance to answer, the door swung open. Meetra turned around to face Kreia - she had pushed the locked door open with the Force. "I may be blind, but my hearing is intact," she sneered. "Leave us, fool."

Atton stepped forward to fight back when Meetra grabbed his thigh. "Let me deal with her," she whispered. Reluctantly, Atton agreed - he left the room after picking up his shirt and jacket from the floor.

"I had expected better of you, Exile. I suppose I expected too much," Kreia snarled, venom in her voice. "Perhaps you should try to focus on Korriban and the task at hand instead of engaging in defiling _activities_ with _imbeciles_." The urge to fight the old woman's description of Atton was great, but Meetra held her tongue for the time being. "Now, we should meditate. Come, I fear you will be tested during your search for Vash."

Kreia began to walk to the dormitories, expecting Meetra to follow. Exhaling deeply, Meetra followed, knowing concentration would be difficult. All she could think about was when she might get another opportunity to tell the pilot how she felt without interruption.


	23. Chapter 23 - What Lies Beneath

The ramp lowered far faster than she had expected, hitting the clay below with a loud thud as it kicked up a cloud of red and tan dust. After a moment, the airborne dust settled on the ramp's ridged plasteel surface. Meetra stepped on the now-gravelly surface, pausing for a moment to take in her new surroundings.

As her eyes struggled to adjust to the impossibly bright light, she shielded her eyes with her hand - Korriban's sun burned hotter than any planet she'd been on before. Taking a moment to look up at the source of heat before thinking better of it, Meetra looked out at the scene in front of her. A strong arid wind blew, displacing more dust - she could feel the moisture in her skin drying by the second.

Korriban was far different than she remembered. Before, it had been a bustling planet, filled with crooked merchants, mercenaries looking for their next job, lethargic Czerka employees and merciless Sith students and teachers. Now, it was silent, save for the wind that howled as it passed the entrances of tombs belonging to the Sith Lords of old.

The valley where they landed was vast. Several pillars that had once extended nearly a hundred feet into the sky now laid in ruin, the tallest one now standing no more than thirty feet high. The once grand entrances to the tombs built into the cliffside were blocked by crumbling rock. There was little doubt that salvagers had looted the tombs for their one-of-a-kind artifacts.

Meetra walked off the ramp and onto the clay ground to gain a new vantage point, spying an abandoned excavation site near the side of the Hawk. Whoever was digging must have left in a hurry - various tools were strewn about and dirty plates rested on top of a small table covered in dust.

The sound of someone approaching from behind interrupted the quiet. Meetra didn't turn to see who it was - she knew exactly who it was based on the rhythm of the footsteps.

"Are you still sure you want to be here?" she asked quietly. "I'm not sure what's going to happen, but I have a feeling it won't be good."

"_You've_ got a bad feeling about this? You're starting to sound like me, sweets," Atton smirked, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind before kissing her cheek. As the two stood in silence, he scanned the area. It was relatively dull until his eyes caught the glint of a purple lightsaber crystal that had burrowed its way into the ground, save for the tip poking out of the clay. He released Meetra's waist and walked closer to it - he wanted to give it to Visas so she could have a new lightsaber crystal. The red crystal she used always put him on edge, reminding him of his darker days.

Atton knelt and pulled it out of the ground. Suddenly, the air was still. Something was wrong - they both sensed it. With her hand firmly on her lightsaber hilt, Meetra walked to stand next to Atton. Several moments passed. Nothing happened. "Well that was kind of weird," Atton smiled. Meetra returned his smile and loosened her grip of her lightsaber when the ground beneath them began to shake.

Looking at shaky ground beneath her feet, Meetra caught a glimpse of a large, black scale underneath her foot. _Hssiss_. "Atton, run," she screamed as she pulled his arm. The two began their dash to the Hawk just as the Hssiss rose from the sand. It was large - larger than any hssiss Meetra had seen during the war. Its black scales were smooth and shiny and reflected the sun's light. The hssiss' eyes were dark and angry. After shaking off the sand for a moment, it snorted as it turned its gaze to Atton and Meetra.

"Fools!" Kreia's voice rang out in Meetra's head. "You have disturbed what slumbered in this darkness. You would be wise to leave what lies on this ground be. This planet is tainted by a darkness I dare not touch."

Meetra didn't have a moment to focus on Kreia's cryptic words. The hssiss turned and swatted her with its powerful tail, knocking her flat on her stomach - her face slammed into the ground, causing her to bite her tongue so hard that her mouth filled with blood. Ignoring the pain, she tried to push herself back up to run, but before she could, the beast rested its heavy paw square on her back, knocking the wind out of her. She tried to wiggle free, but the weight of the hssiss proved too much.

Knowing the hssiss only enjoyed live prey, Meetra lay as still as possible as the hssiss lowered its snout to sniff her. The sudden shift in its weight crushed her back. Before she could stop herself, she yelped in pain. Up until that point, Atton believed Meetra to be just behind him, but the scream told him otherwise. "Meetra!"

Atton turned and sprinted to Meetra, igniting his lightsaber as he ran. What exactly he planned to do was unclear even to him, but he knew he had to do something.

The side of Meetra's face was being pushed into the dust, caking itself on her skin as it mixed with sweat. Trying to ease the blinding pain, Meetra closed her eyes as tightly as she could. Seconds later, the beast hissed loudly before lifting its paw for a moment.

Although she was unsure of what had captured the hssiss' attention long enough for it to allow its next meal to run away, Meetra didn't question it as she slipped out of its reach. Crawling was all she could manage. As she moved out of the beast's reach, she looked back. What she saw sent a wave of horror over her.

Atton was fighting the hssiss.

There was nothing she could do - the hssiss' weight on her back had inhibited her ability to stand. All she could do was watch as her secret love battled with a beast more than twice his size.

The hssiss turned to swing its tail with the same blinding speed that had bested Meetra. Thankfully, Atton anticipated the swing, dropping to his stomach to avoid the blow. The whole thing was far too much for Meetra as she bit her fist in fear. An enraged hiss followed as Atton took advantage of his position to slice at the hssiss' exposed underbelly.

As the hssiss writhed in pain, Atton jumped to his feet, his double-bladed lightsaber in hand. He looked at the ground behind him before stepping back a few paces to create some distance between his body and that of the hssiss. While he was backing up, the hssiss turned quickly, swinging its tail from the opposite direction, catching Atton off guard. It landed a direct hit to the side of his torso, the sheer force of the blow causing the lightsaber to slip out of his hands. The hit sent him flying in the direction of the hssiss' open mouth - Meetra screamed and closed her eyes. She couldn't watch - he couldn't die. Not like this.

The sound of a blaster being fired rang out, followed by a loud cry, then a sickening thud. Terrified of what she might see, Meetra opened her eyes to see Atton on his knees near the mouth of the hssiss, his old blaster in hand. In the seconds Meetra had closed her eyes, Atton had reacted quickly, drawing his blaster and firing it into the open mouth of the beast, killing it instantly.

Slowly, Atton turned on his knees as he breathed heavily, scanning the area for Meetra. When he caught sight of her, he rose on unsteady legs and limped as quickly as he could to be by her side, flashing a weak smile as he approached. The corner of his mouth was bloodied. A large blood-red stain was growing as it seeped through the material of his white shirt.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Atton joked, slurring his words as he spoke. Although he was being his sarcastic self, Meetra could see something was seriously wrong. Without warning, his eyes rolled back into his head as he collapsed.

oo-oo

Everything hurt.

Atton opened his eyes only to be blinded by a brilliant white light hovering over his face. He moved his hand to cover his eyes, but the sudden movement caused a shooting pain to rocket up his arm. A deep groan passed his lips.

"Bao, he's up!"

Being sure not to hurt himself again, Atton slowly turned his head in the direction of the voice. Mira.

"What - what's going on?" Atton croaked as he tried to lift himself into a sitting position.

"Hey, Sith spit. Lay back down, will ya? And try not to frack with your side. It took Bao and I long enough to sew it back together. Where's Goldilocks when you need him, right?" Mira snorted from her perch on the small countertop in the corner of the room as she lifted various bottles and vials to her face to read the labels.

As he readjusted his back against the table beneath him, the cold surface bit at his skin. Turning his eyes from Mira, he glanced down to inspect his body. His shirt was gone, replaced by a white band encircling his lower torso. A thin white sheet covered his bare lower half.

"How -"

"Meetra crawled back onto the ship and got Bao out there to help you," Mira stated as she lifted yet another vial to her face. "Lucky for you, that Zabrak's pretty strong - he picked you up and brought you in here. You were a mess. That hssiss hit you pretty hard. It sliced right through that ugly ribbed jacket of yours. Guess what they say about scoundrel's luck is true though - a few inches higher and that thing would've crushed all your ribs and if that were the case, we _probably_ wouldn't be talking right now."

Nodding slightly, Atton looked around, scanning the room for Meetra. Although she still hadn't bothered to look at him, Mira answered his question before he could ask.

"Cool your engines, hot shot. Don't pitch a tent or anything like that by thinking too much about her. Visas was able to heal the torn muscle in Meetra's back with the Force. She's alright. Well," Mira paused for a moment, her voice thick with worry. "At least she was when she left two days ago. We haven't heard from her since."

"Who went out with her?"

Mira put the silver bottle in her hands on the counter but kept looking down.

"Mira, who went with her?" Atton asked, his tone firm.

"She, ah. She," Mira paused. The bounty hunter turned Jedi was never one to be at a loss for words, but suddenly she couldn't seem to find them as she looked into his eyes. "She wouldn't let any of us go with her. She left in the middle of the night while we were sleeping."

"So she's out there alone?" Atton's voice was eerily calm, setting Mira on edge as she shifted her gaze to her lap and nodded. "We've got to go after her." Ignoring the pain circulating through his body, Atton pulled the needle out of his arm and turned to allow his legs to hang off the metal table he had been laying on. He stopped, inspecting the white sheet covering his most private area. "Did you…?"

"Undressing you was hardly the highlight of my day, smut face," Mira rolled her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself." Atton couldn't help but smile at her response. _That_ was the Mira he'd grown to care for - an unlikely friend. "Although, I've gotta say, you're packing down there."

"Thanks," Atton smirked, trying to hide the hint of pride in his anatomy. "Where are my clothes? I've got to get out there."

"Visas has them. Turns out she's able to sew even without being able to see anything. Who'da guessed?" she snorted. "But, like I said, the hssiss ripped your jacket, so it'll take a while before she's done with that. She's working on that white shirt you're always wearing too. It had a pretty big rip in it," Mira cocked a suspicious brow at Atton. "I noticed Meetra blushed a bit when Visas said she didn't understand how the rip got there seeing as it was on the side of your body that the hssiss didn't get to. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, now would you?" Mira smirked.

"Not a clue," he replied with a half smile.

"_Right,_" Mira said sarcastically, drawing out the word as long as possible. "Anyways, apparently Mandalore's been on the Hawk before and found these," she tossed him a tightly folded black garment. "He was really skittish about letting you wear them, but they'll have to do for now. I swear, he thought they were sacred or something."

Atton unfolded the bundle of cloth, allowing several stubs of charcoal to fall out of one of the pockets. "Black Jedi robes? Really?"

"Yeah. Unless of course you'd like to try this on for size," she motioned to the green cloth stretched across her chest. "I'm not sure it'll look as good on you though."

Atton snorted, conceding the black robes would have to do for the time being. He grabbed the bundle and the sheet, ensuring it covered everything he didn't want the crew to see, before hobbling to the cockpit to prepare for his journey to find Meetra.


	24. Chapter 24 - Into the Darkness

The grey doors of the Sith Academy were enormous - as Meetra edged closer to them, she felt smaller and more alone than she ever had. It took all the strength in her body to open the doors - they squeaked and creaked loudly as she pressed her body against them. Finally, she pushed the doors just wide enough to allow her body to slip through before they snapped shut behind her. There would be easy escape if things went sour in the Academy.

As her eyes adjusted to the main room's dim yet ominous glow, Meetra scanned the room, trying to pinpoint the source of the light, but was unable to do so. The Academy seemed to be carved directly into the cliff - the walls, floors and ceiling were solid stone. Scenes of battles from long ago and countless ancient texts were etched into the walls. However, as she looked around, something didn't feel right in her gut. Something about the Academy was _off_. Like the rest of the planet she'd explored thus far, the Academy appeared to be abandoned, but Meetra couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't alone.

With that in mind, Meetra took a few steps deeper into the Academy before unexpectedly stopping short - a footstep that didn't belong to her plodded from behind. Without hesitation, Meetra drew one of her lightsabers, swinging it in the direction of the sound behind her - it connected with what seemed to be thin air. After a moment of confusion, a silvery silhouette appeared before it dissipated to show a figure draped in black. Her would be attacker's red eyes faded before they slumped to the floor. This wasn't the first time Meetra had encountered assailants like this - the first time had been on the Harbinger months ago. _Sith_. From now on, Meetra would have to choose her steps carefully.

Knowing she could be attacked at any moment, Meetra ignited her cyan blade to accompany the silver one already in her hands as she pushed on.

It wasn't long before two more Sith assassins revealed themselves. These two were more difficult to defeat than the assassins that had appeared on the Harbinger months ago, but she was able to eliminate them nonetheless. As she walked further into the Academy, Meetra felt the Force stirring. She already knew she wasn't alone - the Sith assassins were evidence of that fact - but this was different. This was stronger. Far stronger. _Master Vash?_ Meetra shook her head at the notion - in her heart, she knew it wasn't the Jedi Master. Something more sinister, something more dark was amiss.

Pushing forward, she walked down a long corridor into a room that paled in comparison to all the others she had explored thus far. It was small and the ceilings were low. Cages lined the far wall. Exposed electrical wires and chains hung from the top of one cage - its base was stained red from inflicting years of torment no doubt. The thought of the torture that had taken place in this room sent a shiver up Meetra's spine.

Determining this room would be of no value, Meetra turned to leave the room when something caught her eye - a datapad on the edge of a small table at the room's corner. She picked it up, attempting to crack the encryption so she could read its contents - she was usually quite good at this sort of thing, but this particular datapad was giving her all sorts of problems. Meetra tried every combination she could think of, but still, none of them worked. Only one person had ever been able to outsmart her in matters of security - the one who had taught her everything she knew about security...

"That's impossible," Meetra muttered to herself, shaking her head at the silly notion in her mind. As she ran her fingers along the smooth back of the datapad, she noticed an irregularity - she flipped the datapad over to see a name etched into the plasteel. 'Penn Thayer'.

Although she didn't recognize the name, she felt it may be important - she shoved the datapad into her sack before quickly turning to leave. As she turned, her boot caught a jagged piece of rock poking out of the floor, causing her to fall to her knees. Despite her dark surroundings, Meetra couldn't help but laugh at her clumsiness. "Some Jedi I am," she chuckled.

As she put her hands on the ground to push herself back onto her feet, she felt something sticky beneath her fingers. She lifted her hands to inspect her palms - they were stained by a deep shade of crimson. A sense of dread consumed Meetra's mind as she followed the red trail to a small closet she hadn't noticed before. Still on her hands and knees, Meetra crawled closer to the closet door before being hit by a wall of stench. She knew that smell. It wasn't a scent she'd smelled since the Mandalorian Wars. Death.

Biting her lip, Meetra hesitantly pressed the opening panel at the closet door's center, allowing it to slide open. If Meetra hadn't still been on her knees, she was sure she would've fallen to them.

Master Vash was laying in a pool of her own blood. Her black and grey hair was plastered to her face by dry blood. The amount of bruises covering her face made her nearly unrecognizable. A deep cut lined her lips. A single massive handprint laced Vash's neck. With a quivering jaw, Meetra moved from her hands and knees to sit on her bottom, pressing her back against the closet's threshold - she wasn't sure she could mentally handle inspecting the rest of Vash's mangled body.

A dry lump settled in her throat as her eyes began to burn. Vash was gone. After a few moments, Meetra couldn't hold back the tears fighting to fall. "Why?!" she screamed, slamming her fists into the ground in anger.

Seconds later, she heard something stir in the center room - she instantly regretted being so loud and alerting anyone who may be lurking in the Academy to her whereabouts. Gathering her strength, Meetra slowly stood, promising herself she'd come back for Vash's body. Vash was a great Jedi and an even greater woman - she deserved a proper burial. However, the time was not now. Right now, Meetra needed to focus on the sinister presence she had sensed earlier that was now closer than ever.

Making a conscious effort to stay quiet, Meetra tiptoed to the center room but stopped short of stepping inside, choosing to keep herself concealed in the hall. From her hiding spot, she could see someone meditating at the room's center. As her eyes struggled to adjust to the room's faint red lighting, she edged closer to get a better look at the figure, someone she instantly remembered. He wasn't someone you could easily forget.

The man's grey skin was covered in deep cracks to the point where it didn't appear to be skin at all. His face was equally grey and cracked, save for an area just beneath his eye - it seemed as if the grey had been peeled away, exposing skin that was red and raw, evidence that he had once been covered in smooth, healthy flesh. Based on the man's facial features - a strong jaw, wide forehead and deep set eyes - Meetra deduced the man had been attractive at one point in his life, but those days had long since passed.

As she inspected his face, he opened his eyes. One was healthy, bearing a deep violet hue. The other was milky white and bulged from its socket. At first glance, she thought it to be a false eye, but as she looked at it more closely, she could see a hint of purple fighting its way through the eyeball's sickly glaze. Suddenly, the eyes shifted to look directly at her, causing her heart to jump into her throat. She'd been spotted.

The man stood and drew his lightsaber. "At last, you have come," he croaked in an unnatural voice. Meetra wondered if he cracks that covered his body went deeper than the skin, causing the unnatural tone. "At last, the time has arrived. I will break you."

A fight was inevitable - the man was blocking her exit. In a bold move, Meetra walked a few paces closer to the man.

"You are my Master's new apprentice. She will break you - betray you - just as she betrayed me."

"Master?" Meetra asked, somewhat confused. "Kreia?" As he edged closer, he nodded before stopping just a few paces from her. Comfortable the man wasn't going to attack quite yet, she took the opportunity to ask another question. "Who are you?"

"I am Lord Sion. I was once her student, but I am now stronger than my former Master. She is weak." As she digested his words, Sion stepped closer, setting her on edge. "I have studied you. Breathed you. You have been on my mind day and night. You are _beautiful_ to me," he said in as soft a tone as he could muster, brushing her cheek with his palm. The skin of his hand was dry and rough, just as it appeared it would be. The feel of someone else's hand on her cheek made her long for Atton's surprisingly soft yet strong hands, however, Meetra stayed perfectly still, allowing his hand to linger. "And because you are beautiful to me, I must destroy you."

In a single swift move, he removed his hand and swung his red lightsaber - Meetra drew her lightsaber just in time to block his attack. The sheer force of the brute strength with which he swung his blade sent shockwaves of pain up her arm. In the moment after his initial attack, Meetra drew her second lightsaber, knowing she would need every tool in her arsenal to defeat Sion and escape the Academy in one piece.

The two battled for several minutes, trading blow for blow. Sion's attacks were far more vicious than any opponent Meetra had ever faced. Despite all logic to the contrary, he seemed to be growing stronger as the fight raged on - it was beyond concerning. Meetra was growing tired and although she was quite skilled with a blade, her opponent was much stronger than she.

Sion swung his blade once more while kicking his large foot at Meetra - his boot connected with her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. The force of the kick loosened her grip on her silver lightsaber. The blade dissipated as the hilt rolled on the ground - Sion stopped it with his foot as Meetra struggled to get off the ground. With a wicked grin, Sion pressed his foot down on the saber. It shattered. If she hadn't have witnessed it, Meetra doubted she would've believed it - she'd never seen anything quite like that.

Down a lightsaber and beginning to feel a bit of fear, Meetra gripped the hilt of her remaining blade - a cyan lightsaber - with both hands. Just as she was about to charge at Sion, Kreia's voice rang in her head.

"The darkness of the Force is too strong here," Kreia stated, the concern in her voice evident. "He feeds off it. It gives him power. You cannot defeat him here. Run!"

The moment Kreia stopped speaking, Meetra looked at Sion - his head was upturned. He appeared to be roaring, though no sound left his lips. A faint red glow surrounded him for a moment before seeping into the cracks of his skin. Based on what Kreia said, Meetra knew it was Korriban's dark energy giving him a renewed sense of strength. This was her chance.

Channeling the Force to carry her feet, Meetra sprinted for the door - she pulled at its brass-colored knobs with every ounce of strength left in her body as she heard Sion's heavy footsteps drawing near. The door slowly creaked open - Meetra squeezed her body through the crack and escaped the Academy, her hand narrowly avoiding a final swing of Sion's lightsaber.

Meetra didn't look back to see if she was being followed - instead, she ran as fast as she could for as long as she could. After what seemed like an eternity, her legs began to falter. The combination of fighting, running and extreme heat had exhausted her. Taking a moment to take in her surroundings and catch her breath, Meetra stopped - she didn't recognize this place and the Ebon Hawk was nowhere in sight.

Although she was lost, Meetra knew she couldn't go back in the direction of the Academy. There had to be another way. Closing her eyes, she relied on the Force to guide her steps. After several hours of wandering, Meetra opened her eyes and smiled wide as her heart filled with a sense of relief - the Ebon Hawk was in the distance. Just as she began walking to the ship, she felt something drawing her to a small cave covered webs to her left. The urge to keep walking towards the safety of the ship was great, but not nearly as great as the urge to explore the cave. Looking around once more to ensure she hadn't been followed, Meetra took a deep breath and stepped into the darkness of the cave.

_**A/N**__ - Thank you for reading! Hope you're enjoying my interpretation of Knights of the Old Republic 2 thus far._

_I wanted to give everyone a heads up that I probably won't be able to upload the next chapter at its usual time (long-distance traveling is the worst), so I apologize in advance. However, I am hoping to have it up sometime next week.__If you like the story so far, be sure to be on the lookout or use FFN's handy follow option to have the update sent to you._

_Also, I've enjoyed reading all of your reviews and have taken them into account when writing - if you have any feedback, comments, suggestions, concerns, etc., I'd love to hear from you! Every bit of feedback helps, no matter how small. Thanks again._


	25. Chapter 25 - Words Unsaid

The cave was darker than she had anticipated - Meetra ignited her lightsaber, using the glowing blade as a makeshift torchlight. Her lightsaber's bluish-green hue reflected off the cave's damp walls - it was strangely calming as Meetra pressed forward, walking deeper into the dark. Aside from the dull hum of her blade and the occasional splash of her foot falling in a puddle, the cave was still.

As she walked, Meetra noticed the beginnings of purple waves of electricity moving silently along the ground. Feeling they must have something to do with the draw to the cave, she followed the neon trail - the currents became thicker and stronger as she moved closer to their source. Finally, Meetra stopped at a small door carved into the rock covered by the current.

The threshold bore carvings similar to the ones on the walls of the Academy - a dark energy pulsed from the room. Taking a deep breath, Meetra walked toward the door, extended her hand and pushed the door open. She knew there would be no going back - she would have to face whatever horrors lurked beyond the door.

As she stepped through the threshold, she could see a figure of a man standing a few paces away. Unlike the rest of the cave, this room was well-lit by torches so her eyes took a moment to adjust. After a few moments, the figure's identity was revealed. An old friend. Alek.

Alek was tall and handsome, exactly as Meetra liked to remember him - the way he had been before he fell to the dark side. His dark hair was closely cropped in a buzz cut style. That was the way he'd had it cut when he and Revan first left for war - he'd shaved it all off not long afterwards. Despite the shadows of the cave and the structure of his face, his piercing blue eyes were just as dark and stormy as they always had been.

A wealth of muscles bulged from beneath his clothing. Alek had forgone the traditional flowing Jedi robes in favor of tight red clothing that displayed every inch of his impressive physique. As a teenager, Meetra had found his rebellion against the Jedi dress code impossibly attractive. Now, she found it distasteful and disrespectful. Although she was no longer attracted to him, she couldn't help but stare at the man she once loved. Her first love. As she stared into his eyes, Meetra's mind drifted to her past...

Alek never loved her. He was six years older than she - he'd always known she had feelings for him, but always shrugged her off. When Meetra followed he and Revan to war, Alek hadn't been quiet about his displeasure, however, that changed the moment he realized there were few women on the battlefront and many things he would have to go without. Although they'd always been friendly, Alek began to pay Meetra extra attention, even bordering on flirtatious.

Every time he came near, her heart soared - she believed he finally reciprocated her feelings of love and was willing to do anything for him. And she did exactly that.

It started out with a small favor - Alek asked her for a massage after battle which turned into him groping her bare body. As time passed, the requests grew more frequent and far larger. Before long, Meetra knew whenever Alek summoned her, she would be performing some sort of sexual favor. She hardly ever spoke to him anymore - he usually asked her to perform, then made up an excuse as to why she should leave, however, Meetra didn't mind and did so willingly, assuming this was what love was like.

One day, after returning from a particularly taxing battle, Meetra received a message from Alek the moment she stepped into her quarters - he wanted to see her. Although the message said he wanted to discuss the battle, she knew it was a lie. She wasn't in the mood to perform any sort of act for him - she was tired and her heart ached for the men she'd lost that day, but, since she was in love, she rushed to be by his side.

Foregoing any sort of greeting, Meetra engaged in the regular lewd acts that brought Alek pleasure before she stopped, having given him his fill. The two had been secretly meeting in his room for months - other than a few heated and extremely rough kisses the two shared, Meetra had never received any semblance of pleasure from him.

"Alek?"

"What is it?" he replied coolly.

"I love you," she said softly, her voice full of hope. Hope that he would finally say the words that hadn't passed his lips, but she believed were on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he stayed silent. Thinking he must be shy and waiting for the perfect moment to confess his love for her, she began speaking once more. "The battle was brutal. We lost a lot of good men today."

Still, silence.

He merely laid back on the bed, his pants still around his knees. "I was thinking," Meetra paused, crawling to be on the bed beside him. "Since I love you and you love me, maybe we could do what real couples do?" When he didn't immediately reply, she felt the need to explain herself. Perhaps he didn't understand. "I've heard it can be fun for both people, at least, that's what Rev told me. I've never tried _it_. I know you have, so maybe we could do it...together?" Although she tried to keep her voice even and steady, even she could hear the hope and excitement in her voice.

As she ran her fingers along his chiseled jaw, Alek turned his head, smiled and began to chuckle. Despite her confusion, she joined in. "You think I love you? he asked through laughter, silencing Meetra.

"Meetra, Meetra, Meetra," he shook his head as he rolled to stand, quickly pulling his pants up before sitting back on the bed. _"This,"_ he motioned to the space between them. "This is just a little pastime. A way to blow off steam. I thought you might enjoy it a little - getting in touch with your sexuality, getting to spend time with me," he paused, roughly running his hand along her body. He'd never been gentle, but this felt different - she flinched at his touch. "Meetra, I don't love you."

The statement made her eyes burn. Her attempts at holding back the tears were in vain as hot tears escaped her eyes. "You-you don't love me?" she asked, clearing her throat to disguise the hurt in her tone. "But I thought -"

"Like I said, this was just for fun," he interrupted, not understanding that with every word, he broke her heart just a little more. "Once this war is over, I'll need a real woman, not some war-crazed teenager. But let's not muddle things up. It's working out pretty well," he smiled before pressing his lips against hers, unceremoniously sliding his tongue deep into her mouth.

For the first time, Meetra didn't kiss back. Instead, she shoved him away, reeling from the sting of his words. "Is that all I am to you?" Before he could answer, the anger that had risen in her belly took over - she slapped him across the face. Hard. The look of shock that crossed his face and the deep crimson handprint that formed on his cheek provided a bit of comfort as she rolled off the bed and darted out of the room before he had a chance to react.

Several soldiers watched as she ran, tears streaming down her face, but graciously said nothing. That was the last time Meetra was ever in the same room as Alek. Occasionally, she spoke to him via holovid to discuss battle plans when absolutely necessary, but the two were less than cordial. As much as she hated to admit it, she'd received a bit of dark satisfaction when Revan mangled Alek's jaw.

Meetra's mind was forced back to the present when Alek began speaking. "The Council has been silent for too long against the Mandalorian threat. Your mothers, your fathers, your sisters, your brothers, your friends are all dying while you sit and stew within the confines of these walls. Join Revan and I. Use your skills to defend the defenseless. Heap glory upon your head. Join me."

A Jedi Meetra recognized as a young man named Crispin immediately stepped forward and stood behind Alek. Then another. And another. Soon, Meetra was standing alone.

"You stand alone. Will you not make the same decision to go to war? Will you hide behind the Council?" Beads of sweat began to form on Meetra's brow - she didn't know what to do. As she scanned the faces of the Jedi who stood with Alek, she studied their faces. Their expressions were blank and lifeless. Moving down the line, she noticed one that was out of place.

"Bastila?" Meetra narrowed her eyes at the petite brunette standing in line closest to Alek. "Bastila didn't go to war," she whispered, trying to make sense of what was happening. "Bastila tried to stop us. She begged us not to go," Meetra paused. _"This isn't real."_

Just as the words escaped her lips, Bastila lunged for her - Meetra swung her lightsaber in defense, slashing Bastila's abdomen. Instead of yelping in pain, Bastila flashed a wicked grin before dissolving to dust. Seconds later, all of the other Jedi began dissolving as well. All of them except for Alek - he drew his red lightsaber and rushed for her. Meetra had to dive out of the way to avoid his blade.

The two fought for several minutes - he'd always been strong, but he'd never been able to match her skill with a blade. Hoping to rain a killing blow on Meetra's head, Alek lifted his lightsaber above his head - she crouched and rolled to avoid the hammer-like swing. Moving quickly, she jumped to her feet and stabbed him in the back just as his lightsaber connected with the ground. Then, like the others, he dissolved into a pile of dust.

As she stared at the pile of dust at her feet, she ran her fingers through her hair in disbelief. She just killed the man she once loved. "It's not real," she reminded herself as she pushed forward, following the purple currents on the floor. "It's not real."

The currents led to yet another door - after taking a deep breath to regain her composure, Meetra stepped through the threshold.

An older woman greeted her. The woman's ragged grey and dirty blonde hair was pulled into a tight bun that tucked neatly beneath the br of her cap. She bore the uniform of a Republic officer. "It's up to you, General," she looked at Meetra. "We can stay here and wait for the Mandalorians to find us, or we can sneak into their calm tonight and slaughter them in their beds."

This moment had forever been seared into Meetra's memory. The Mandalorian camp on Dxun was just over 2 kilometers away. Their defenses were weak on their left flank. A then 19 year old Meetra had ordered the men in her company to move through the unexplored jungles and destroy their enemies as they slept. The plan seemed simple enough, but nothing was ever simple in war. In the dark of night, she lost the majority of her men to mines. The few who survived were captured by the Mandalorians. Weeks later, Meetra received a plasteel cylinder from an anonymous source - the horror of what was inside still haunted her.

It contained the eyes, toes, fingers and identification tags of the men who had been taken captive. Amazingly, she had remained strong and calloused on the presence of her subordinates, but the moment she stepped into the privacy of her quarters, she had vomited until the contents of her stomach laid before her.

She had made a mistake. A mistake for which people paid with their lives. As she lay on the floor just inches from her own spew, tears steaming down her face, Meetra swore she would never receive a shipment like that again. It was a turning point for Meetra. Instead of a naive girl, Meetra pushed herself off the ground and stood as a woman with a hardened heart. Revan had earned the nickname of "the butcher", but many believed that title truly belonged to Meetra. Her brutality toward the Mandalorians became legendary. She wanted to make them pay.

"General, I need an answer," the woman brought her back. Meetra hadn't noticed that she was clenching her fists so tightly, digging her nails into her palms, that she'd began to bleed. As she looked at the woman, she recognized her as Colonel Griggs.

"We'll go," Meetra answered. "But, let me go first. I'll disarm the landmines." In the past, Meetra had chosen to stay behind to wait for Revan's next order on her holovid, a decision she still regretted. She should've gone with them all those years ago. This was her opportunity to right the wrong.

Colonel Griggs nodded and grabbed her blaster. "Men, let's move out!" Hoards of men followed Meetra through the jungle as she slowly walked through the brush, being sure to diadem every mine. Once she was absolutely she the path was safe, she motioned to Griggs. The woman nodded in return before yelling to the men. "Attack!"

A rush of men in Republic uniforms ran past Meetra and to the Mandalorian tents before her. Despite having disarming the mines, the battle wasn't as easy as she would've hoped - the Mandalorians were waiting for her men. She watched as the battle raged - men on either side were struck down, dissolving into dust the instant they were hit. In the end, the Mandalorians were annihilated. Her men hooted and hollered in excitement - Griggs hugged Meetra who heartily returned the affections. Then, Meetra blinked her eyes.

The colonel was no longer in her arms. The men were gone. She was alone again.

Meetra longed to see the men once more. To see Griggs once more. Although Meetra outranked the woman, she'd been the closest thing she'd ever had to a mother - Griggs had always advised her to steer clear of Alek - advice she never followed. The colonel urged her to go for Revan, saying she saw something special in him, another piece of advice she ignored. Meetra missed Griggs more than she ever thought possible. What she would give for another shred of her motherly advice. Griggs had died in one of the mine explosions that fateful night.

Where the Mandalorian tents had been moments before now displayed yet another door covered by purple current. Although she was mentally exhausted, she stepped to it - she wasn't sure what was beyond the door, but knew it would hurt her.

Meetra walked through the threshold and was met with a seemingly endless hall. It was dark, save for a single beam of light streaming through the ceiling at the end of the passageway, a hooded figure standing in its ray. Cautiously, Meetra edged closer before recognizing the figure. Finally, someone who was still alive, although, Meetra wondered how she'd entered the cave.

"Kreia," Meetra smiled as she began running to the old woman shrouded in her usual brown and mustard robes. However, as Meetra approached, she sensed something was wrong. Kreia lifted her hood and showed her eyes for the first time - they were milky and colorless, similar to Sion's. Her appearance began to change - the ties in her hair morphed from brown to ebony and red and her robes were black. "Kreia, what's going on?"

The old woman opened her mouth to speak, but a voice called out from behind Meetra, silencing her. "Don't get near her, Meetra. She's a Sith. She's been playing you all along." Atton?

Meetra turned to see her secret love running toward her, his double-bladed lightsaber drawn - he too was wearing flowing black robes. One of his hands was sheathed in a black leather glove - she couldn't help but wonder why.

"Will you listen to a fool? A murderer of Jedi?" Kreia's words echoed in the cave. "Or will you listen to your teacher who has_ never_ failed you?"

Before Meetra could answer, Bao-Dur walked into the mix. "What are you doing here, Bao?"

"Defending you, General," he replied. His always-calm eyes were dark and stormy as they rested on Kreia. As Meetra focused on Bao, Atton ran past her, charging Kreia.

"Atton, no!" Meetra screamed, jumping between the two, arms stretched to the ceiling. "Please don't do this," she begged, fresh tears welling in her eyes.

"Meetra, move," Atton hissed. "She needs to die."

"Will you allow him to strike down an old woman? Your teacher?" Kreia questioned. The thought of killing Atton was too much to bear as she looked at him. However, something was off. His eyes were brown and lifeless - far from his usual hazel. She turned to look at Kreia once more - the old woman had two hands wrapped around her lightsaber's hilt.

_"This isn't real,"_ Meetra whispered.

"Choose, Exile," Kreia demanded. "Who will you defend? Who will you strike down?"

"This isn't real," Meetra shook her head, lowering her arms. "Both of you, stop."

"So you would choose inaction instead of choosing to defend one of us?" Kreia sneered. "Apathy is death."

"Apathy is death," Atton repeated.

"Apathy is death," Bao-Dur joined.

As the three repeated the phrase over and over, Meetra glanced at Atton, just in time to see him swing his lightsaber at her, ducking just before his blades struck her. Not wanting to harm any of them, Meetra ran to the corner. The three approached, lightsabers shining - she panicked. She extended her arm upard, using the Force to push the three to the ground.

Atton and Bao dissipated into dust, but Kreia remained, quickly swinging her blade at Meetra's neck. Meetra ducked and stabbed the old woman's stomach. "I'm so sorry, Kreia," she whispered as she began to cry. "I'm so sorry." The woman groaned and flashed a weak smile before she too dissolved into dust. "I'm so sorry."

_A/N - Thank you for your patience, reviews and support! This chapter was slightly longer, darker and different than the others, but hopefully you enjoyed it and it was worth the wait._

_Until next time. _


	26. Chapter 26 - A Fire Burns

Still staring at the pile of dust that had been Kreia just moments before, Meetra wiped away the few remaining tears before continuing on. Seeing Kreia in the black robes worried her - although it wasn't real, it _felt_ real. Too real. "It's not real," she said aloud in an attempt to make herself believe it. "It's not real."

Before long, Meetra could smell the musty and metallic smell that was Korriban's surface. The nightmare was nearing its end - she was almost free of this strange cave. "It's almost over," she exhaled deeply with a smile. Although she was alone, she kept speaking to herself not only to give herself the motivation to keep going, but also to keep herself sane. The more memories she faced, the more she felt herself breaking. Every mental wound she'd covered was being exposed and ripped open - she hadn't realized just how raw some of these hurts still were.

As she looked forward, she could see the purple current ahead, however, this current was slightly different. These currents were stronger, wider and more wild than the others. They covered the threshold and surrounding cave walls to the point where the rock was barely visible. Knowing she physically and mentally couldn't take much more, Meetra rushed for the door, hoping to end the ordeal as quickly as possible. As the door swung open, she gasped, unprepared for what she saw.

A tall, somewhat slender yet muscular man stood before her. His build was similar to Atton's, but unlike Atton, he was draped in a black cloak and menacing copper-plated armor. In his scarred hand, he held a dirty copper-colored mask.

Still in disbelief, Meetra looked at his face. It was long and chiseled, as was his nose. His cheekbones were high. Thin, dark eyebrows did little to cover his light brown eyes that were kind, but filled with mystery and an unexplainable sadness. A mane of dark brown hair originating from a severe widow's peak hairline was pushed off his face, ending just shy of his shoulders. The man sported a face of dark stubble. A small scar marked his thin lips - Meetra knew that scar. She'd given him to it during a sparring lesson on Dantooine when they'd been paired as opponents…

"One, two, three," Revan counted as he parried her lightsaber with his own. "Good." As the top duelist in her age bracket, Meetra earned the opportunity to spar against Revan, the Order's newest - and youngest - Jedi Knight. Although most viewed it as a great honor, Meetra didn't think much of it - Revan was one of her best friends and undoubtedly the closest thing she had to family. Sparring against him was nothing new. Their late night sparring sessions were the secret to her success as a duelist, although no one knew that - sparring outside of the Enclave was frowned upon to put it lightly.

"Rev, I'm bored," Meetra whispered as they sparred, several Padawans looking on. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw her rival. "Bastila's watching. Let's give her a show."

"Why do you hate her so much?" he asked through narrowed eyes as he stole a glance at the petite Padawan standing just behind Meetra.

"Why _don't_ you hate her?" she questioned, increasing the speed of her swings. "Oh, don't tell me you're like everyone else and think she's pretty," she grunted, taking out her frustration on Revan's blade.

"_Watch it, Mee,_" he chided. "You almost sliced my hand off. And don't be gross. Bastila's just...Bastila."

"Then let's show her how good I am," she smiled. "_Please?_ It'll eat her up inside."

"You're cocky as hell, you know that, right?" he asked with a smile as he quickened his strikes, silently agreeing to go along with her scheme.

"I've been told that I remind some people of a certain equally cocky Jedi Knight," she arched her brows, making him chuckle. The two sparred in silence for a few moments as the group watching them grew larger. Their blades moved faster. Still faster. Finally, Meetra swung her blade more swiftly than Revan anticipated, barely stopping her lightsaber as it connected with his lips.

Immediately, he fell backwards, blood streaming from his mouth, his lips completely split vertically. As everyone looked on in horror, she rushed to his side. "He needs help," she screamed. The next few minutes had been a blur. She faintly remembered Vrook, Kavar and Vandar combining their abilities to heal him through the Force, but even after their work, the nasty scar remained. After several days spent in a recovery room, Meetra tearfully asked him he hated her. Instead of reacting in anger as she feared he might, he pulled her in for a hug. "How could I ever hate my sister?" he whispered with a smile.

That was the Revan she knew. Kind. Loving. Charming. Loyal. Forgiving. When he and Alek turned to the dark side, many viewed Revan as some sort of monster, but that demonization couldn't have been further from the truth.

As she reminisced, she noticed Revan raising his hood to cover his head, something he'd always done in preparation for battle. "Revan?" Instead of responding with words, he raised his mask to his face and drew two huge lightsabers - one violet, one red - from a holster behind his back. Meetra's mouth went dry as she drew her much smaller cyan blade.

Revan was the first to strike, his violet blade clashing with her own. Seeing the flash of red moving in her direction through the corner of her eye, she ducked, narrowly avoiding his second lightsaber. As she recovered, she pushed her lightsaber, swiveling her blade to rest on top of his. Taking advantage of her newfound leverage, she kicked him in the stomach, but the thick armor covering his chest protected him - he didn't even budge.

He swung his lightsaber toward her once more, this time at her head. Meetra dodged the blade, but his fist and the hilt of his lightsaber connected with the side of her face. The brute force sent her flying across the room, her back slamming into the cave's wall. After a moment, she moved to her hands and knees. Her mouth was flooded by a metallic taste, which she tried to spit out - her heart dropped when a fair amount of blood dribbled down her chin and dripped onto the floor. With a deep breath, she shook her head and pushed herself off the ground. Revan hadn't moved from his position, seemingly content to watch her struggle. As she studied him, attempting to find a weakness in his armor, she noticed a tall rock formation beside him - the old war strategist in her took over.

Without a second thought, Meetra charged, running as fast as she could before leaping, her foot connecting with the rock. She pushed off the formation and raised her lightsaber above her head and hammered down on Revan's head before he could counter. Just as her feet touched the ground, he dissolved into a pile of dust, just as every other opponent in the cave. This final encounter had pushed her to the breaking point. As her entire body began to shake, she fell to her knees.

"Most would not be able to face their past as you have," Kreia's voice rang out in her head. "You will be stronger because of this struggle."

"You knew this was going to happen," Meetra stated angrily, not in the mood to deal with her teacher.

"Indeed. I felt the dark energy surrounding this cave before we even arrived on Korriban." The calmness with which she replied angered Meetra further.

"You could've stopped this," Meetra screamed.

"And what good would that have done, Exile? Saved you a few hours of heartache? A mouth full of blood? No, this experience has made you wiser. You are _stronger_ because of it. You _survived,_ as you have for so many years."

If this was supposed to be an empowering experience, she didn't believe it. She'd never felt weaker in her life. Her body and heart ached. "How do I get out of here?" she asked quietly, unwilling to fight Kreia.

"You know the way, Exile. Listen to the Force. It will guide you." Then, it was silent once more.

"Dammit, is she always so cryptic?" Meetra muttered before scanning the room, looking for an exit. The room was circular, the only exit being the one she had entered through. That couldn't be the way out. Following the faint smell of Korriban, she crawled to the tomb at the room's center and pushed aside the door. Instead of bones, the tomb led to a tunnel - the smell of Korriban filled the air. After a moment of hesitation, Meetra squeezed her body into the tight space, leaving the horrors of the cave and her past behind.

oo-oo

As she crawled through the tunnel, it seemed to get smaller and smaller. At one point, the space was so tight, she had to slide on her stomach, her arms stretched before her, pulling herself forward by digging her fingers into the dust, dragging her body along. Tiny bugs crawled over her body, into her clothes and weaved themselves into her braid, but she ignored them, determined not to stop until she reached the planet's surface.

The smell of Korriban grew stronger. Finally, Meetra saw a faint light in the distance - a ball of flickering orange and yellow. Seeing the light gave her a burst of energy - she scurried to the end of the tunnel. Finally, she reached the end. Poking her head out, she looked around, recognizing where the tunnel had taken her - the courtyard of the Sith Academy. The colossal doors she had entered through hours before were propped open. A large fire - the only source of light - was burning at the courtyard's center. A figure cloaked in black was standing in front of the blaze, their back turned toward her.

Eager to be out of the tunnel, she gave herself a final push, breaking the fall with her hands. Unfortunately, she landed on a thin rock that split beneath her weight. The crashing sound made the figure near the fire stir. As the figure looked around, trying to identify where the disturbance had come from, Meetra held her breath. After a few moments, the cloaked individual turned back to the fire once more.

Now that it was dark, the surface of Korriban had cooled to a tolerable temperature. Pushing herself off the ground, Meetra turned to run back to the Ebon Hawk before remembering Vash - she deserved a proper burial. Determining the figure seemed distracted by the blaze, she turned and began sneaking toward the door.

Only a few meters separated her from the doors. As she quickened her pace, she felt a blaster touch the back of her head. The Force was swirling. _How hadn't she felt them coming?_ Looking down, she saw a black boot and pant leg. A lightsaber rested on the figure's waist. Meetra feared the worst - a dark Jedi. In an act of surrender, Meetra lifted her hands - she didn't have the energy to fight.

"Get down on your knees," the man instructed. She knew that voice...

"Atton?"

"Meetra?" he asked as he turned her to face him. If not for the fire behind him, Meetra doubted he would've been able to see her face in the darkness, even at this close proximity. A smile crossed her face - the light of the fire gleamed on her teeth and watering eyes. "Sweets," Atton smiled, pulling her into his arms.

After the past few hours of torment she'd endured in the cave, Atton's embrace was exactly what she needed. It was warm and loving. Several minutes passed, neither moving to break the embrace. Finally, Atton broke the silence. "I thought I'd lost you," he said quietly, the relief in his voice evident as he pushed her back slightly to look into her eyes, running his fingers along her cheek.

"You can't get rid of me that easily, flyboy," she laughed. As the two laughed, Atton rested his forehead against hers. After the laughter died down, Atton leaned in, softly kissing her lips before quickly pulling away at the taste of blood - Meetra winced in pain.

Atton sidestepped so more of the fire's light would shine on Meetra - she was filthy. Dried blood caked her lips and chin. "What happened to you?" he asked, his voice drenched with concern. "We need to get you back to the medbay right now." In a surprising move, he picked her up, but she wiggled free of his arms.

"I have to go back into the Academy. I have unfinished business."

"And that would be…?" Atton smirked.

"I have to give Vash a funeral," Meetra replied softly.

After a moment of silence, Atton spoke. "Well, there's no need to go back in there," he whispered. Seeing the confusion on Meetra's face, he motioned to the fire. "She's over there."

With wide eyes, Meetra brushed past Atton and walked toward the blaze. Through the fire, she could see the outline of Vash's body. She knelt down and whispered a prayer, releasing Vash to be one with the Force. After the prayer's end, she stood to look at Atton.

"How did you know what to do?" she asked. Few people outside of the Order knew how the Jedi paid their final respects to their fallen comrades. It had been the secret for the better part of a millennia, never done in the presence of non-Jedi.

"The," he paused, his eyes taking on a glassy haze. "The last Jedi I killed. The one I told you about. I couldn't let her body sit there. It would have been wrong after all she did for me. I looked through her belongings and found a datapad. I read through all of the manuscripts on it. One of them mentioned Jedi funeral services." After a long pause, he took a deep breath and continued on with his story. "I took her body to a place I knew she'd be safe and I - I did this," he motioned to the fire.

Following his hand, she looked to the blaze. Vash was one with the Force thanks to Atton. Meetra turned to look at Atton - he was staring directly into the fire, his face expressionless.

"Tessa," he whispered.

"What?"

"The Jedi's name was Tessa," he said softly, looking directly into her eyes.

Dumbfounded, Meetra paused for a moment before walking to Atton - she hugged him from the side and rested her head on his shoulder to watch the blaze. He cringed - his side hadn't fully healed from the hssiss attack - yet he didn't move. The feel of her being near outweighed the pain. "Thank you, Atton," she whispered. "I can't thank you enough for what you did here," she paused for a moment before continuing. "And what you did for Tessa."

The mention of Tessa tugged at Atton's heartstrings. Biting his lip, he looked down at her, but she was still watching the fire. He wrapped his arms around her just a little tighter and kissed the top of her head. "Come on. We should get back to the Hawk."

Meetra reluctantly nodded as the two turned from the fire and began their journey back to the Ebon Hawk.


	27. Chapter 27 - The Split

The sight of the Ebon Hawk just across the Valley of the Dark Lords was one of the most beautiful things Meetra had ever seen. Despite the aching of her blistered feet and pang of hunger in her stomach, she smiled wide before looking at Atton, who was equally excited to see the ship. After days of travelling, his cheeks had sunken slightly, his cheeks were sunburned and his face was marked by dark stubble. He'd denied it when she questioned him, but Meetra was almost certain he'd been giving her his portion of the food - Atton hadn't anticipated the amount of time the journey would take and hadn't packed enough.

"What?" he smirked as she looked at him with an expression he couldn't quite read. "I look that bad, huh?"

"No," Meera shook her head with a smile, breaking the gaze she'd probably held on the pilot for too long. In all honesty, he'd never looked more attractive or been more appealing. He'd gone after her, risking his own life to save hers. He'd given Vash a proper send off to be one with the Force. She could never repay him for everything he'd done on this planet alone. With that thought in mind, she reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze of appreciation before kissing his cheek and continuing on.

Finally, they arrived at the Ebon Hawk to see T3 waiting on the ramp. "Beep beep boop beeeeeep," the droid squealed, photoreceptors blinking wildly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Atton lifted his hands. "Slow down, bolt bucket. A message from who?"

"Kelborn," Meetra answered. "I thought you couldn't understand him?" she questioned with a smile as she lightly punched his arm.

"Well, it's not like I tell you _everything,_" he teased with a smile. At this point, there were very few secrets between the two. The fact that Meetra knew his deepest and darkest secret, yet accepted him regardless made him love her that much more. Suddenly, Atton remembered he still hadn't told her how he felt...

"Atton," Meetra's voice jerked him back to reality. With a quick shake of his head, he followed the sound of her voice - she was already at the top of the ramp. "Are you coming or do you want to stay out there and bake in the sun a little longer?" she chuckled as she extended her hand. After a moment, Atton ran to the top of the ramp and followed she and T3 to the main hold where the rest of the crew had already assembled.

oo-oo

Kelborn's message was short and simple, merely telling the crew to return to Dxun as soon as possible. Although Mandalore was annoyed by the lack of detail given by his sergeant, Atton quickly set a course for the moon. Instead of the rough landing from their first visit to Dxun, the Ebon Hawk was permitted to land on the Mandalorian camp's landing pad. The moment they landed, the crew was ushered to Mandalore's compound where Kelborn was waiting.

"What's goin' on here, Kelborn?" Mandalore asked his squad leader, bounding into the main room of his compound with confidence. Before the sergeant had the opportunity to answer, Astridia ran out of a side room and beelined for Mandalore, hugging his heavily armored leg with all her might. Seemingly forgetting about the briefing that was about to take place, Mandalore quickly removed his helmet and scooped the girl into his arms with a smile. Moments later, Tahl darted into the room and sprinted for Atton before pulling his uncle to stand beside Meetra. The young boy beamed with pride and excitement as he stood between the two, holding both of their hands.

Finally, Gemma hobbled into the room - she was still using crutches, but her cumbersome leg brace was gone, a sign of progress. With a wide smile on her face, she hugged each member of the crew, including a very reluctant Kreia. Meetra noticed that Gemma's embrace with Mandalore lasted a little longer than it had with anyone else. The battle-tested Mandalorian grinned like a schoolboy at the sight of her.

As they embraced, Meetra took advantage of the opportunity to scan Mandalore. Since hardly ever took off his helmet - and rarely smiled when it was off - she hadn't had a chance to see how surprisingly attractive he was. His hair was mostly grey, peppered with a few darker strands here and there. Although the lower half of his square face was hidden beneath a well-maintained silver beard, she could tell he had a strong jawline. A small scar extended over his left eye and disappeared into his hair, a souvenir from battle no doubt.

Trying to regain the group's attention, Kelborn coughed loudly. "Spit it out already, Kelborn," Mandalore grunted, obviously back to his usual gruff self.

_"Canderous,"_ Gemma whispered, her tone firm as she shook her head.

"Sorry," Canderous glanced at Gemma. "Kelborn, please tell us why you wanted us here," Mandalore said in a friendlier tone.

_"Canderous?"_ Atton mouthed at Meetra who shrugged in confusion. Even _she_ was too afraid to call the Mandalorian leader by his first name.

"Uh," Kelborn began, obviously struggling to comprehend what had just happened. "We made contact with Kavar, the Jedi who assists Queen Talia. He said he could provide safe passage for you to Onderon, although, I don't know how good that offer still is."

"What do you mean, Mandalorian?" Kreia asked harshly before Meetra had an opportunity to. "Speak."

"Onderon is in a state of civil war. Vaklu has declared war on his cousin, the queen, accusing her of treason. She's trapped inside the palace. Most of the guards remain loyal to Talia, but Vaklu has many powerful, high-ranking men on his side. We fear she won't last any longer than two, maybe three days."

"We have to help her," Meetra stated. "We need to get to Kavar."

"And don't forget about the blonde boy," Gemma added with a smile. Although the fear that Mical had been killed or taken captive had been growing in her mind, Meetra smiled and nodded, choosing to keep the dark thoughts to herself.

"Tell me, what have you found on this planet, Mandalorian?" Kreia asked. "Any strange readings?"

Clearly in shock from the question, Kelborn tilted his helmeted head slightly. "How did y- sorry, yes," he recovered. "We found energy readings on this moon. About 30 kilometers west of here."

"The two are interrelated, Exile," Kreia began. "If the battle is to be won, it must be fought on both fronts simultaneously."

"I don't think splitting your forces in half at a time like this would be an advisable battle tactic," Kelborn stated. The sergeant meant no harm by the statement, but was met with Kreia's wrath.

"And that is why a Mandalorian will _never_ best a Jedi in combat," she snarled, her voice dripping with venom, adding to the underlying tension in the room. Angered by hearing his top sergeant and the skill of Mandalorians' battle strategies being belittled, Mandalore stopped forward to lash out at the old woman, but was stopped by Gemma grabbing his arm, holding him back.

As countless thoughts and strategies swirled in Meetra's mind, the current mission started to become clear. "I have to lead the team going to Onderon," she stated, seemingly reading Kreia's mind.

"Well - well, yes," Kreia answered. For the first time on their long journey, the old woman seemed genuinely shocked, but quickly regained her composure. "You will need to appoint someone to lead a second team's attack on the source of energy on this moon. Who do you choose?"

The answer to this question was abundantly clear to Meetra, but she didn't want to say it aloud. The Force and her mind were screaming that it needed to Atton, but her heart was pleading for him to come with her to Onderon, just so he would be by her side. Every eye in the room was fixed upon her, but she stood in silence as a battle raged inside. _Mind or heart?_

"Exile, we are waiting," Kreia reminded her, growing impatient.

Before she could stop herself, Meetra spoke. "Atton," she said quickly, instantly regretting it but knowing she couldn't take it back. "It-it needs to be Atton," she repeated herself in a softer, less assured tone.

Both Atton and Gemma's mouths dropped.

"Me, sweets? I mean, Meetra," he corrected himself, realizing that most of the crew hadn't heard his pet name for her. Ignoring the sound of Mira's snickers and Meetra's suddenly red cheeks, Atton spoke once more. "Are you sure about this?"

"You're ready," Meetra nodded. "I can feel it."

"An interesting choice," Kreia stated nonchalantly. "And who would you have accompany the fool?" This time, it was Mandalore's turn to hold Gemma back from charging the old woman.

_"Schutta,"_ Gemma muttered just loud enough for Atton to hear, before whispering a string of other curses, leaving no doubt she was a true Rand.

"Mira and Mandalore," Meetra answered. "You and Visas will come with me. Bao, you'll stay here with the droids and help defend the camp."

"It is settled," Kreia nodded, a sense of finality in her voice.

"Braylor and I will take you to the energy source when you're ready," Kelborn directed his salute at Atton. "We'll wait outside." After nodding he understood, Atton rubbed his neck nervously as Kelborn and a second Mandalorian who'd remained silent throughout the meeting stepped outside. That must've been Braylor.

A heavy silence fell over the room. The thought of splitting up for the first time felt strange to the entire crew, save for Kreia.

"Can I talk to you?" Atton turned to Meetra. "Uh, _battle stuff_ I wanna discuss," he added awkwardly. Although it was obviously a lie, Meetra nodded and handed Tahl off to his mother before stepping into a small side room to speak with Atton.

After Meetra closed the door, Atton began pacing nervously, seeming to collect his thoughts before he spoke. "Are you_ sure_ you're sure about this?"

"Yes," Meetra smiled as she walked toward him, resting his hands on his shoulders, bring him to a halt. "I have faith in you. I trust you. You're the best man for the job, _Mr. Rand_," she added in a flirtatious tone.

A crooked grin flashed across his face and the tension in his body disappeared. "You're not trying to get rid of me, are you? Because if you are, it's gon-" His impending joke was cut short by her lips pressed against his. The kiss was meant to be a peck, but Atton prolonged it by weaving a hand in her hair.

Finally, Meetra reluctantly pulled her lips away and moved to his ear. "That's just a little taste of what I want to do when you get back," she whispered, hoping he understood what she was implying.

It was clear he understood when his ears reddened and his heart began racing. "Well, in that case, consider it done, sweets," he smiled, stealing one last kiss before he turned to gather his belongings in preparation for battle.

"But Atton," Meetra grabbed his hand just before he crossed through the threshold. "Just-just be careful, will you?" The concern in her voice warmed his heart as he smiled, nodded his head and continued walking to his intended destination.

Needing to prepare for battle herself, Meetra followed Atton back to the main room and made her way to Mandalore's workbench to adjust her lightsaber crystal. As she worked, Gemma hobbled to her and leaned against the wall beside her.

"They'll be ok, won't they?" she asked quietly. Meetra looked over her shoulder, following Gemma's gaze - it was fixed upon Atton and Mandalore as they polished their blasters. Although she wasn't sure, she nodded.

"They know how to take care of themselves," she stated, trying to sound confident.

"It's just strange seeing two people you care about in a dangerous situation, you know?"

_"Two?"_ Meetra stopped tweaking her lightsaber and looked at Gemma in confusion.

"Yes," Gemma blushed. "Jaq - dammit, I mean Atton - and, well, Canderous." The fact that Gemma was falling for the Mandalorian warmed her heart - Meetra couldn't help but smile. Gemma was ballsy yet sweet and levelheaded, exactly what the longtime bachelor needed. "I haven't said anything yet, but I think I might when he comes back."

"Maybe you should let him know he has something to come back to," Meetra whispered with a smile. "I'll distract your brother for a minute. Hey flyboy," she called out as she began walking down the hall. "Come here for a second."

Polishing his blaster as he walked, Atton followed Meetra into the hall. "Yeah, sweets?" Meetra looked on over Atton's shoulder as Gemma began hobbling toward Mandalore. Now that the moment had arrived, she realized she hadn't thought of a way to distract him.

"These, uh, these black robes look good on you," she said, internally cringing at the lame statement.

_"Thanks,"_ Atton looked at her suspiciously, obviously waiting for something more. When Meetra remained silent, he couldn't help but chuckle. "You called me over to tell me _that?"_

"Yeah," Meetra smiled nervously, her voice shaking. She'd endured countless covert operations and brutal interrogations, but buying time for a simple kiss made her anxious. "I just wanted to tell you that you look handsome. I can barely keep my hands off you." As lame as it may've been, the fact that she was getting an opportunity to say what she actually thought provided a bit of comfort.

_"Uh huh,"_ he bit his lip as he scanned her face. "You look pretty good yourself…Well," he cleared his throat. "I better get back to prepping." As he began to turn, Meetra looked over his shoulder to see Gemma and Mandalore leaning in for a kiss. She had to distract him, and distract him she did. Before he could turn, Meetra grabbed his face and pulled it toward her own for a long, sensual kiss.

_"Finally,"_ Mira exclaimed as she passed Meetra and Atton with a handful of grenades. "It's about time you two frack each others brains out. All that secretive crap was getting on my nerves."

As a shade of red crossed her cheeks, Meetra pulled away and looked over Atton's shoulder just in time to see Mandalore and Gemma's lips part. The coast was clear. With a suspicious glance, Atton lightly patted Meetra's bottom, wordlessly thanking her for the kiss, before clearing his throat. "Let's go men," he called out as he began walking toward the door.

"Watch who you're calling a man, sleemo," Mira protested, following he and Mandalore outside.

As the three walked across the campground, Meetra helped Gemma outside. "Goodbye Mira!" she called out. "Bye, Ja- uh, Atton! Goodbye Canderous!"

Atton glanced over his shoulder before looking to Mandalore with a smirk. "Can I call you Canderous too?" he joked before yelping out in pain. _"Dammit!_ Alright, got it. You'll think about it."


End file.
